High School Graduation, Completion, and Dropout (GCD) Indicators: A Primer and Catalog

High School Graduation, Completion, and Dropout (GCD) Indicators: A Primer and CatalogChristopher B. Swanson Education Policy Center The Urban Institute The Urban Institute Education Policy Center EPC Related Research from the Urban Institute’s Education Policy Center Christopher B. Swanson 2004. The Real Truth about Low Graduation Rates, An Evidence-Based Commentary. Washington, D.C., The Urban Institute. Available on-line: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=411050 Christopher B. Swanson 2004. “The New Math Graduation Rates.” Published in Education Week, July 28, 2004. Available on-line: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=1000675 Christopher B. Swanson 2004. Projections of 2003-04 High School Graduates: Supplemental Analyses based on findings from Who Graduates? Who Doesn't? Washington, D.C., The Urban Institute. Available on-line: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=411019 Christopher B. Swanson 2004. Who Graduates? Who Doesn't? A Statistical Portrait of Public High School Graduation, Class of 2001. Washington, D.C., The Urban Institute. Available on-line: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=410934 Gary Orfield, Daniel Losen, Johanna Wald, and Christopher B. Swanson 2004. Losing Our Future: How Minority Youth are Being Left Behind by the Graduation Rate Crisis. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University and the Urban Institute. Available on-line: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=410936 Christopher B. Swanson 2003. Ten Questions (and Answers) about Graduates, Dropouts, and NCLB Accountability. Learning Curve: Facts and Perspectives Brief No. 3. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute. Available on-line: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=310873 Christopher B. Swanson 2003. NCLB Implementation Report: State Approaches for Calculating High School Graduation Rates. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute. Available on-line: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=410848 Christopher B. Swanson 2003. Keeping Count and Losing Count: Calculating Graduation Rates for All Students under NCLB Accountability. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute. Available on-line: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=410843 Christopher B. Swanson 2003. Caps, Gowns, and Games: High School Graduates and NCLB. Learning Curve: Facts and Perspectives Brief No. 1. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute. Available on-line: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=310777 The research presented in this report was conducted in part under contract with the National Institute for Statistical Sciences, which convened the Task Force on Graduation, Completion, and Dropout Indicators for the National Center for Education Statistics. Valuable research assistance for this project was provided by Kendra Bischoff and Nicola Woodroffe. The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the Urban Institute or its board of trustees. Please direct correspondence to Christopher B. Swanson, The Urban Institute, Education Policy Center, 2100 M Street NW, Washington DC 20037. For more information contact the Urban Institute Public Affairs Office at 202-261-5709 or visit www.urban.org. The Urban Institute / Education Policy Center GCD Indicator Catalog - i -TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... i List of Exhibits ........................................................................................................................................... vi 1. Introduction........................................................................................................................................ 1 2. High School Outcomes ...................................................................................................................... 3 3. Representing Data.............................................................................................................................. 8 3.1. Types of Databases..................................................................................................................... 8 3.1.1. Cross-Sectional Data .......................................................................................................... 8 3.1.2. Repeated Cross-Sectional Data ......................................................................................... 8 3.1.3. Individually Tracked Data.................................................................................................... 9 3.1.4. Capturing Temporal-Linked Information ............................................................................. 9 3.2. The Contingency Table Approach ...............................................