Federal audit finds problems with California’s graduation rate calculations

Jan 18, 2018 by Los Angeles Times

What does it mean when California and Los Angeles boast rising graduation rates? Though the federal government released a report calling the numbers inaccurate, state officials say there’s a fundamental misunderstanding at play.

Every year, the California Department of Education and many of its school districts boast about record-high graduation rates.

But a federal audit raises questions about the accuracy of the local and statewide numbers.

The report by the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Inspector General, released Wednesday, looked at samples of graduation-rate data from the class of 2013-14 and found that quality control was lacking in self-reporting by school districts.

California’s “system of internal control did not provide reasonable assurance that reported graduation rates were accurate and complete,” the report said.

State education officials also did not calculate graduation rates “in accordance with federal requirements,” auditors found.

Source: Federal audit finds problems with California’s graduation rate calculations – LA Times