Last month, The Globe reported that only 20 percent of high school students are proficient in math. Overall, less than 50 percent of Nevada students are proficient in math and English. Yet, the state reports over 80 percent graduation rates. How is this possible?

We asked the Nevada Department of Education (NV DOE) to explain this anomaly and their answer, if grades matter anymore, receives an F-.

In an email exchange, I asked the NV DOE’s Public Information Officer:

Upon reviewing the latest report card published by the DOE yesterday, I am seeking clarification on a data point. I will be including your comment in an article. 

According to the data, less than 20 percent of high school students are proficient in math and less than 50 percent are proficient in English. Overall, less than 50 percent of students are proficient in math and English. 

With these numbers, how is it that the graduation rate exceeds 80 percent? 

What metrics are included in these graduation rates that are beyond the proficiencies of the core subjects outlined in this report?

The response I received is attributable to the Nevada Department of Education:

Students are required to participate in the high school assessment for English Language Arts (ELA) and math as a graduation requirement. They are not required to attain a minimum level of performance. Proficiency levels on both assessments are not used to calculate the graduation rate. (emphasis added)

For information about how the graduation rate is calculated, please visit: https://nevadareportcard.nv.gov/DI/MoreDownload?filename=Adjusted%20Cohort%20Graduation%20Rate%20Data%20Validations%20Guidance.pdf

Why are students mandated to take proficiency tests as a graduation requirement if proficiency (literacy) is not a requirement for graduation? What is the requirement for graduation? Having a pulse?

The link provided by the NV DOE is a 22-page instruction manual on how to determine graduation rates. If anyone attempts to follow the instructions to generate a report, well, don’t bother.

Since I am not a statistician, I contacted a source within the Clark County School District (CCSD) to decipher the 22-page document (see below).

Their response: “This was extremely hard to navigate even for me. I gave up. Because for every search screen inquiry, you had to start all over to look for something else. Every time I have tried to run a report, I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.”

According to our source, requesting reports from CCSD is met with resistance and obfuscation. CCSD is also having trouble with math (and reports) as they face a massive budget shortfall despite record funding.

Editor’s note: I have, again, reached out to the NV DOE for a detailed report on graduation rates and will update our readers with their response.