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2 adults 2 adults,
1 child
2 adults,
2 children
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3 children
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$9.32 $9.32 $9.32
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dropout rate can be traced to
prekindergarten. According to
data from The Children’s Reading
Foundation, lack of preparation
at the kindergarten level tends to
follow a child throughout their
educational career, and can lead
to dropping out if not effectively
addressed.
Transitioning frommiddle
school to high school
●
●
Brent Cummings, Director, 21st
Century Community Learning
Centers (CCLC), suggested that a
significant number of dropouts
occur between eighth grade and
high school. Dan Calzaretta, Direc-
tor of the proposed Willow School,
reported that if students are not
successful in middle school, they
probably will not be successful in
high school. He noted it is crucial
that students achieve grade-
level proficiency in both reading
and math prior to entering high
school in order to access learning
(through reading) and keep up
with the curriculum.
●
●
Calzaretta also reported that all
students need to be successful in
eighth-grade math; those who are
not tend to fall off the path to col-
lege and career readiness in math.
Successfully completing
high school
●
●
Drawing on national data from the
National Center for Education Statis-
tics, Cummings reported
that a ninth-grader who fails
two classes has an 80 percent
chance of dropping out of high
school or not graduating within four
years. Several speakers suggested
that social promotion (passing a stu-
dent to the next grade even though
they have not achieved grade-level
competencies) at the lower
grades tends to catch up with stu-
dents when they are held account-
able for competency in high school.
●
●
In 2015, most dropouts (23 out of
37) at Wa-Hi occurred during senior
year. Peterson noted that could be
due to one or more of the following
factors: high-stakes testing, unmet
graduation requirements and the
possibility that failing one class will
derail graduation plans.
Transitioning from high school
to college or university
●
●
Another leak in the pipeline is the
transition from high school to col-
lege or university.
Summer melt
refers to the loss of students who
have been accepted to college in
the spring but fail to enroll in the
fall.
●
●
Not all students have the resources
necessary to access and complete
a postsecondary credential. Kristi
Wellington-Baker, Dean of Student
Success at WWCC, reported that
some qualified students do not
even apply to WWCC. While the
reasons behind the lower rates of
enrollment for certain populations
(such as Latino males) are not fully
understood, it is clear that the cost
of education is an important factor;
70 to 80 percent of students at
WWCC receive need-based finan-
cial aid. Mindi Vaughan, Principal
of McLoughlin High School, noted
that since the state of Oregon
passed legislation to provide
community college education free
of charge for those who qualify,
there has been greater interest,
especially among Latino students,
in Milton-Freewater. To increase
the rate at which Wa-Hi students
access WWCC, Wa-Hi graduates
will be automatically accepted to
WWCC without a formal applica-
tion or application fees, beginning
in 2016.
Looking through a microscope. Photo courtesy of Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory.