SCCPSS: Truancy Down, Graduation Rates Up

The Savannah-Chatham county public school system saw gains in AYP when the final results were released earlier this month.  85% instead of 75% made the grade.

CRCT and Georgia High School Graduation Test scores were up from last year as well.

As 3 On Your Side education reporter, Randi Hempel explains, it’s more than just test scores increasing.

Savannah Chatham County public school officials have four truancy sweeps per year with Campus and Metro police and school social workers, trying to bring the children in off the streets or the couch and to make parents realize their kids need to be in school.  A student is truant after missing 5 or more days of school

“If students aren’t in the classroom, then graduation will not happen.  So we need them in the classroom every day and we need them in the classroom on time, so that’s why we have performed truancy sweeps,” explains Dr. Quentina Miller-Fields, senior director of pupil personnel services.

The 2006-2007 school year saw more than 26 % of students being truant.  Three years later, those numbers are down to under 15 %.

Dr. Miller-Fields says if students in school, that means they have a better chance of graduation on time.

“One of our goals is to increase our graduation rate.  We want every child to enter our school system and leave at the appointed time.  And we know that that it is important if we can continue to work on our truancy rate, we feel if our students are in school and if they are excelling academically they will graduate on time,“ explains Miller-Fields.

And the statistics show it’s working.  From 2008 to 2009, there was an 8 % increase in the graduation rate.  The number of drop outs dropped in ‘06-‘07, 534 students left school while last year, that number was down to 295 dropouts.

More statistics from SCCPSS

The SCCPSS final graduation rate increased in one year from 63.9% to 72.2%, an increase of over 8%. The numbers show (from 2008 to 2009) more students of each subgroup within this district are receiving their diplomas. Graduation is up among: African American students (59.9% to 70.2%), Hispanic students (59.5% to 71.6%), White students (71.3% to 76.4%), and economically disadvantaged students (55.6% to 69.1%). We are rising…
Not surprisingly, as more and more SCCPSS students are graduating, the district is also seeing the dropout rate decrease. In 2008-09, 295 students dropped out of school. In 2006-07, there were 534 students who dropped out of school. We are rising…
The 2008-09 year shows out-of-school suspensions at 15.6%, a decrease from 19.8% of suspended students from the previous year. We are rising…
SCCPSS has also seen a decrease in a number of truant students. A truant student is considered to be a student with 5 or more unexcused absences. In 2006-07, the data revealed 26.2% of students considered to be truant. Three years later, those numbers are down to 14.6%. We are rising…
Overall, the data shows our school system IS rising. SCCPSS is making gains in the right direction, and realize these small victories will lead to big success. However, our journey to becoming a “second to none” school system continues. There is still more room for improvement. Our guiding mission is to ignite a passion for learning and teaching at high levels, and it is up to all of us in the Savannah-Chatham County community to bear our own personal responsibility for ensuring our school system improves, and not just improves, but excels.