Page 12 - Florida Sentinel 12-25-18

Local
Graduation Rate Sets Another All-Time Record In Hillsborough County Public Schools
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
CHRISTIAN
NICOLE
This week’s Spotlight feature, Christian Nicole. This young lady manages to keep herself prepared at all times for that next opportunity, and has dedicated her life to reach the goal of com- plete success. Congratulations to Christian Nicole as this week’s Spotlight feature.
As the 2018-2019 school year reaches the halfway point, another record setting day has been set within Hills- borough County Public Schools. Students, teachers and staff at all Hillsborough County Public Schools can celebrate with the announce- ment that our district’s grad- uation rate has now soared to 85.8%, another all-time record high for our district.
The new graduation rate is 2.9 percentage points higher than last year and has risen 12.3 percentage points since 2014.
The increase in the grad- uation rate amounts to an as- tounding 1,055 more students earning a high school diploma, which high- lights the determination of students and the dedication of teachers and staff who work with them every day.
Studies have shown that students with a high school diploma earn $380,000 more during their lifetimes compared to students who don’t graduate. This increase
has a positive economic im- pact of more than $400 mil- lion on our community.
Hillsborough County Public Schools continue to close the achievement gap – the difference in academic performance between groups of students. African Ameri- can students went up 5 per- centage points in one year to 79.4%. Hispanic graduates jumped 3.5 percentage points higher than last year to 83.4%. And English Lan- guage Learners are up 6.8 points to 75.1%.
The district saw some of the biggest improvements among students with disabil- ities as well. A change in state law a few years ago now makes it possible for stu- dents with disabilities to earn a standard diploma in- stead of a special diploma, if they meet all graduation re- quirements.
A high school diploma means that they can access many post-secondary oppor- tunities, such as universities, technical colleges and they
can join the armed forces, in addition to being more com- petitive in the workforce. The graduation rate for students with disabilities increased from 64.5% to 76.3%, a 11.8 percentage point jump.
A few highlights from the school district include:
For the second year in a row, Tampa Bay Technical High School has the highest graduation rate in the dis- trict, 99.1%, an increase of 1.5 points from last year. The magnet school was just four students shy of reaching a perfect graduation rate.
Spoto High School in Riverview had the highest graduation rate increase, jumping nearly 8 percent- age points from 80.4% to 88.3%.
The School Board set graduation rates as one of their key priorities. Since Superintendent Jeff Eakins took the helm of Hillsborough County Public Schools, the graduation rate has steadily climbed from 76% in 2014-2015, to 79.1% in 2015-2016, to 82.9% in 2016-2017 and now 85.8% in 2017-2018.
The district’s theme this year has been We Climb Together, creating a cul- ture where everyone be- comes a “graduation champion” for students. The district’s goal is 90% gradua- tion rate by 2020.
FYI
Kwanzaa
Celebration
Saturday
The Tampa Bay Kwanzaa Collective will once again cel- ebrate Kwanzaa 2018 at the Tampa Heights Community Center, Saturday, December 29, 3 p. m. - 7 p. m., 2005 Lamar Avenue and Palm Av- enue.
There will be food, enter- tainment, vendors and spe- cial guests. The public is invited to attend.
For further information please contact 813-223-1296 or email at kuumbadd@msn.com.
PAGE 12-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2018