Why LAUSD's projected graduation rate shot up nine points in one month
File photo: At the end of the fall semester, barely half of Los Angeles Unified high school seniors were on-track for graduation. By Feb. 18, that number had jumped to 63 percent. CRYSTAL MARIE LOPEZ/FLICKR
When second semester classes came to an end in January, barely half of the 32,000 seniors in Los Angeles Unified high schools were on-track to graduate at the end of this year.
Now, six weeks later, 63 percent of L.A. Unified seniors are on-track to earn diplomas, a district memo shows — and another 17 percent are only one or two courses behind.
But what looked like a sudden shift in the numbers is the result of what district officials described Tuesday as part of a year-long, district-wide effort to ensure off-track high school seniors earn the credits they need to get their diplomas.
Specifically, the updated numbers include for the first time students who made up credits during the fall semester. Some even finished their credit recovery work over winter break, said L.A. Unified Chief Academic Officer Frances Gipson.
But only 43 percent of this year’s seniors are currently on-track to graduate with a C average or better — a bar students must clear to be eligible for admission at University of California or California State University campuses.
Superintendent Michelle King has set a goal that 100 percent of L.A. Unified Why LAUSD's projected graduation rate shot up nine points in one month | 89.3 KPCC: