In an effort to understand how the Alternate Graduation path works, a reveiw of the statute was necessary.

118.33  High school graduation standards; criteria for promotion.

(1) 

(a) Except as provided in par. (d), a school board may not grant a high school diploma to any pupil unless the pupil has earned:

1. In the high school grades, at least 4 credits of English including writing composition, 3 credits of social studies including state and local government, 2 credits of mathematics, 2 credits of science and 1.5 credits of physical education.

2. In grades 7 to 12, at least 0.5 credit of health education.

(d) A school board may grant a high school diploma to a pupil who has not satisfied the requirements under par. (a) if all of the following apply:

1. The pupil was enrolled in an alternative education program, as defined in s. 115.28 (7) (e) 1.

2. The school board determines that the pupil has demonstrated a level of proficiency in the subjects listed in par. (a) equivalent to that which he or she would have attained if he or she had satisfied the requirements under par. (a).

It is also interesting who actually qualifies for the ‘Alternate Path”.

· Poor attendance

· Failing grades (D/F)

· Family crisis

· Referred to but did not qualify for special education services

· Social/emotional/medical issues

· Free/reduced lunch

· Below-average performance on assessments

· Discipline problems

· Drug and alcohol issues

· Criminal behavior

· Poor peer relationships

· Rated “high” on teacher-generated at-risk profile

· Retained or considered for retention

· Significant deficiencies in credits

5. What types of students are served in alternative education programs? Alternative education programs could serve many types of students. However, virtually all Wisconsin alternative education programs focus on students who meet the statutory definition of being at-risk. The students’ characteristics range from truancy, delinquency, behavioral problems, AODA use, family problems, and academic failure to expellable offenses.

I was not able to find reasonable tracking of this program. It appears that the graduation rate may be skewed.

Without standardized testing prior to graduation or another suitable measuring tool, the Graduation Rate is not a viable tool for measuring districts’ effectiveness. Significant testing needs be done to determine if the districts are providing education or just a high school diploma to these students.