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SCSD Graduation Rate Jumps Above 60%; Officials Credit Individual Attention to Students' Needs

syracusecityschools.com

The Syracuse City School District’s four-year graduation rate took a big jump last year.  Numbers released Friday by the state education departmentshow nearly 61 percent of students graduated last year…a 6.4 four percent increase over 2015.  That compares to a more modest 1.3 percent increase statewide to 79.4 percent.  Interim Superintendent Jaime Alicea says the district’s strategy to cater to the needs of individual students has been working.

"Three years ago, we began an eight step process in the district," Alicea said.  "Our administrators are looking at the kids individually,  finding out exactly what are the needs, what are the tests they need to pass.  We  began to put in place the strategies they needed to be successful and complete high school on time."

While the overall graduation rate has improved, students with disabilities and those learning English continue to struggle with graduating in four years.  Chief Academic Officer Linda Mulvey says the district is continuing to work very hard with those students.  She attributes their progress to the programs the district offers.

"Our career and technical education programs are very helpful to keep students engaged in school give them a hands-on opportunity to learn and meet the standards in ELA and math."

While the graduation rate went up, the drop-out rate went down  10 percent over the past five years to around 16 percent.  Alicea says keeping students involved in school is key.

"What is important is that we're keeping them engaged in school, that they're not dropping out, that we're providing the support they need, that we're providing different ways to recover credits so they can still be successful."

While Alicea says there is still work to be done, Mayor Stephanie Miner praised the district for its diligent work and thanked him and his team for their efforts in improving education for students district-wide. 

Credit syracusecityschools.com

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.