Natomas Unified has cause for celebration as 2014-2015 comes to a close. A variety of metrics show the District is making measurable progress, including its dropout rate, African American student graduation rate, Advanced Placement tests, high school exit exam pass rates, completed courses to meet college admission requirements, and a decline in suspensions and expulsions.
“These results are a compliment to our staff, schools, students, and to the quality of education in Natomas Unified,” Superintendent Chris Evans said. “We’re clearly on the rise and this is a good way to end the school year. Our challenge now is to maintain this momentum and build on it in years to come.”
Earlier this week U.S. News & World Report recognized both Natomas and Inderkum high schools as among the top-performing public high schools in the nation after an analysis of more than 29,000 public schools for overall student performance, college readiness and serving disadvantaged students.
Consistent with the District’s Core Belief that disparity and disproportionality must be eliminated, NUSD’s Hispanic, African American, Filipino, white, and students of two or more races all surpassed state and county high school graduation rates. There is more work to be done and Natomas Unified is committed to continue to expand efforts to eliminate disparity and disproportionality.
The percentage of English Learners progressing toward or attaining English proficiency exceeded state targets once again this year, following last year’s approval of a new EL master plan by the Board of Trustees. Fifty-one NUSD graduating seniors earned the California Seal of Biliteracy, an increase of 41 percent. The state seal is awarded to students who demonstrate a high level of proficiency in two or more languages.
Here are some highlights of NUSD’s latest data, some of it newly released by the state from 2013-14 and some newly generated by the District for 2014-15:
- The District’s graduation rate is second highest in NUSD history, 87 percent, buoyed by Inderkum’s 3 percentage point increase and a 2.2 percentage point rise in graduations by African American students.
- NUSD’s dropout rate fell to its lowest level in the past five years, 1.8 percent, with both Inderkum and Natomas High Schools showing improvement – by 1.1 percentage point and by nearly a half percentage point, respectively. For African American students, the dropout rate fell 1.2 percentage points, representing the fourth straight year of improvement.
- A higher percentage of NUSD students are completing coursework for university admission before graduating – called A-to-G courses – than in any of the past four years. The current rate, 47 percent, is 11 percentage points higher than in 2010. Asian, Filipino, Hispanic, white, and students of two or more races all exceeded county and state averages for similar groups.
- Advanced Placement tests are another measurement of college and career readiness, and the number of NUSD students taking at least one AP test increased this year over last year. International Baccalaureate (IB) exams start next year.
- Nearly nine of every 10 Inderkum High School juniors took the ACT, as did more than six of every 10 Natomas High School juniors – all for free. This is up from past years where about 30-40% of students took either the ACT or SAT.
- Suspensions and expulsions dropped district-wide. Expulsions declined by nearly 50 percent district-wide, with two key subgroups, Hispanic and African American students, reflecting the positive trend. Expulsions for the latter decreased by about 50 percent.
- For students taking the California High School Exit Exam just this March, Inderkum and Natomas high schools each increased their pass rates in both mathematics and English/language arts. Leroy Greene Academy, whose 10th graders took the test for the first time this year, recorded pass rates of 87 percent in mathematics and 96 percent in English/language arts.
“The numbers collectively say we’re making progress toward our Board-approved Vision that all students graduate as college and career ready, productive, responsible, and engaged global citizens,” Evans said. “We’ve increased academic options. We’re financially strong. Our efforts to increase college and career readiness are just beginning. Our students and community deserve the best and we will continue to deliver the most we can each year for our students.”
