Finding Text
Finding 2023-001: Annual Report Card, High School Graduation Rate (50000)
Program Identification:
Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Pass‐through Entity: California Department of Education Program Names: Title I, Part A Grants:
Title I, Part A, Basic Grants Local-Income and Neglected (CFDA No. 84.010) ESEA, School Improvement Grant Funding for LEAs (CFDA No. 84.010)
Criteria: ESEA Sections 1111(h)(1)(C)(iii)(II) and 8101(23), (25) (20 USC 6311(h)(1)(C)(iii)(II) and 7801(23), (25)) require a local educational agency to have official written documentation that a student enrolled in another school or in a educational program that culminates in the award of a regular high school diploma in order to remove a student from the graduation cohort. A student who is retained in grade, enrolled in a GED program, or leaves school for any other reason may not be counted has having transferred out for the purpose of calculating graduation rate and must remain in the adjusted cohort.
Condition: During our testing of compliance and controls over the graduation cohort, we identified one instance in which the District was unable to provide supporting documentation to demonstrate that the student enrolled in another school or in an educational program that culminates in the award of a regular high school diploma.
Context: Exceptions were noted in one out of the six pupils sampled.
Questioned Costs: None.
Cause: Lack of review process to ensure that when a student is removed from the graduation cohort proper documentation is obtained and maintained to support the student’s removal from the graduation cohort.
Effect: School sites’ graduation rate will be overstated on the school sites’ annual report cards.
Recommendation: We recommend the District train school site staff on allowable documentation to remove students from a graduation cohort as well as other cohort codes. Subsequently, the District should assist school sites in developing the record retention process to ensure documentation is available upon request.
Views of Responsible Officials: The district will persist in actively involving staff in ongoing training sessions focused on protocols aiming to enhance their ability to identify and address issues that may lead to the removal of students from graduation cohorts.