Appendix B - Methodology

High School Completers and Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate

This report presents counts of high school completers and an averaged freshman graduation rate.  The term “high school completer” includes both diploma recipients and other high school completers, but not high school equivalency recipients. The averaged freshman graduation rate only includes diploma recipients; it does not include other high school completers or those receiving a GED-based equivalency credential.

Diploma Recipients. These are individuals who are awarded, in a given year, a high school diploma or a diploma that recognizes some equivalent level of academic achievement. They can be thought of as students who meet or exceed the coursework and performance standards for high school completion established by the state or other relevant authorities.

Other High School Completers. These individuals receive a certificate of attendance or some other credential in lieu of a diploma. Students awarded this credential typically meet requirements that differ from those for a high school diploma. Some states do not issue an “other high school completion” type of certificate, but award all students who complete school a diploma regardless of what academic requirements the students have met. In order to make data as comparable as possible across states, this report includes both regular and other diploma recipients in its total number of high school completers. High school equivalency recipients are not included.

Exclusion of High School Equivalency Recipients. High school equivalency recipients are awarded a credential certifying that they have met state or district requirements for high school completion by passing an examination or completing some other performance requirement. High school equivalency diplomas are considered valid completion credentials, but high school equivalency recipients are not included in the total number of completers, for two reasons. First, high school equivalency recipients are reported on the CCD only at the state level and cannot be disaggregated to the district level. Second, not all states report high school equivalency counts on the CCD, and the statistic is therefore not comparable across states.

Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR). The averaged freshman graduation rate provides an estimate of the percentage of high school students who graduate on time (i.e., within 4 years of entering 9th grade for the first time). The rate uses aggregate student enrollment data (to estimate the size of an incoming freshman class) and aggregate counts of the number of diplomas awarded 4 years later. The incoming freshman class size is estimated by summing the enrollment in 8th grade in one year, 9th grade for the next year, and 10th grade for the year after and then dividing by three. The averaging is intended to account for higher grade retentions in the 9th grade compared with 8th and 10th grades. Ungraded students reported to the CCD were prorated into the individual grade enrollment counts.

Thus,

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