The two largest high schools in Jackson County saw their graduation rates drop in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the second half of the school year.
Seymour High School graduated 347 of its 379 seniors last year, or 91.56%, down 2.04% points from the 93.6% that graduated in 2019.
SHS Principal Greg Prange said not being able to physically see students or make home visits during the monthslong school closure definitely had an impact on the number of students graduating.
“We were unable to be in the school building between March and August,” he said. “This made it very difficult to maintain communication with seniors who needed the extra encouragement from teachers, counselors and administrators to make it across the finish line.”
The shutdown also prevented seniors from coming in during the summer to finish up their credits through the school’s GradPoint program.
“Summer is a crucial time for us to get seniors into GradPoint to make up those couple of credits necessary for graduation,” he said.
Brownstown Central High School’s graduation rate fell 9.39% points to 88.31% from 97.7% in 2019. A total of 136 of the class’s 154 seniors received their diplomas.
BCHS Principal Joe Sheffer agreed the pandemic had a lot to do with the drop.
“Last year, a lot of our students did not have internet access, and that made it difficult for students to complete and turn in work,” he said.
To remedy the situation, Sheffer said Brownstown Central Community School Corp. recently purchased hotspots for all students to have internet access, but it doesn’t replace the interaction students need.
“There are many students who need the daily teacher interaction and structure of school that eLearning does not provide,” Sheffer said.
Crothersville High School experienced a modest gain of 1.16% points with all but two of its 28 seniors graduating, increasing its graduation rate to 92.86% from 91.7% in 2019.
Principal Doug Ballinger credited the school’s use of and experience with technology for successfully making it through the year.
“We are a 1:1 school, and we use a lot of technology to provide good instruction, communication and help,” he said. “We communicated with (students) on a weekly basis.”
But this year continues to be a challenge, he added. The school has taken steps to be proactive by working with nearby Austin High School and the C4 program in Columbus to keep moving forward.
“We are going to keep doing what we have been doing that works and plan and adjust accordingly as changes come,” he said.
At Trinity Lutheran High School, 100% of its 27 seniors graduated in 2020, up from 91.18% in 2019.
Trinity Principal Clayton Darlage commended the Class of 2020 for adapting to the circumstances and not letting the pandemic get in the way of graduation.
“These young men and women faced the challenges brought by the pandemic with a sense of resiliency and maturity, making their families, their school and their community proud,” he said. “This graduating class is another testament to the product of servants and leaders that walk out these doors.”
Even during last spring’s school closure, Darlage said Trinity teachers were 100% committed to providing the best education possible to students.
“We developed a set schedule where students were required to be present in virtual session with their instructors, and this worked wonderfully,” Darlage said. “Our parents and students appreciated the opportunity to continue partaking in an education with high expectations, even during a mandated lockdown.”
To celebrate the accomplishments of their seniors, Trinity chose to conduct an in-person graduation ceremony in May. The only difference from past years being it was held outside, graduates were seated 6 feet apart and had to wear masks and parents had to remain in their vehicles.
Statewide, nearly 88% of Hoosier students from the Class of 2020 graduated, a slight uptick from the prior year, according to data released earlier this month by the Indiana Department of Education.
Because they had fewer than 10 graduates each for the Class of 2020, Medora High School and Sandy Creek Christian Academy’s graduation rates were not made public by the IDOE.
The state’s graduation rate has been stagnant for about a decade with only minor fluctuations. In 2020, the four-year graduation rate rose by 0.5% from the prior year. Statewide, 213 public high schools had higher graduation rates and 177 had lower rates.
But the increase in graduation rates may not reflect how much students learned because the state relaxed requirements after schools were forced to finish the year remotely. The state waived graduation exams that are normally required, and it allowed students who were on track to graduate to earn diplomas. At the same time, many districts adopted more generous grading policies for the end of the semester.
While graduation rates are flawed, they are one of the few state data points showing how Indiana students fared during a tumultuous semester when state tests were canceled.
“This modest improvement in Indiana’s 2020 graduation rate is encouraging, especially as Hoosier students and educators have tackled unprecedented challenges throughout the pandemic,” Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said in a statement. “As evidenced by data and research, we know a person’s educational attainment impacts their future quality of life, health, living wage employment and sustained earning.”
With an existing hybrid schedule currently in place where students rotate between attending classes in person, through remote learning and eLearning throughout the week, Prange said he is afraid SHS’s graduation rates will continue to drop.
“I’m worried about this year and probably next year, as well,” he said. “Students need to be in school.”
Some students are attending remotely full time, he said, and while some are succeeding, many others are not.
“More students who have never struggled before are struggling with grades,” he said. “The pandemic has forced us to recreate every single aspect of school.”
The only solution is to get all kids and teachers back in the classroom full time, he said.
“That’s a goal of every educator I know,” he said.
But graduation rates aren’t a perfect measure, as they often reflect students who feel attendance is optional or who are supposed to transfer to another school but never enroll in that school. Those “missing” students often remain in the class cohort, Prange said.
Another factor that weighs against a school is students, especially those with limited or no English speaking skills, who quit school to get a job.
“It can be difficult to convince them to stay in school when a job offer is placed in front of them,” Prange said.
It’s also not fair that special education students who are on an Individualized Education Program and receive a certificate of completion do not count toward a school’s graduation rate, he added.
“They do everything they are supposed to do and are some of our best kids, and the state of Indiana won’t count their work as a graduate. That is despicable,” Prange said. “This is the most unfair part of the system.”
Sheffer also predicts Brownstown’s 2021 graduation rate will be lower.
“It will be easier when students are at school and our counselors can meet with students in person and talk about academic progress and what students need to complete for graduation,” he said.
Unlike Seymour and Brownstown, Trinity chose to keep students on a traditional, in-person schedule this school year.
Although the ongoing pandemic may impact future graduation rates, Darlage said it does not lessen the integrity of a high school diploma earned by TLHS students.