Congratulations! High school graduation rates in your state are hitting all-time highs!
But before you crack open the champagne, you should know that only a small fraction of those students can do high school-level math. Those graduates may struggle if they try to go to college, qualify for military service or pursue other technical training.
How big is this problem? And how does it vary across the country? In a recent project for The Collaborative for Student Success, I set out to quantify the disparity between a state’s high school graduation and math proficiency rates. We dubbed this the Graduation Gap.
Because states define high school math proficiency differently, the precise gaps are not perfectly comparable across states. But in many places, the disparities are shockingly large. In California, for example, 86% of high school students are graduating within four years, yet just 30% of 11th graders pass the state math test. Florida reports a 90% graduation rate while 44% of students reached only level 3 out of 5 on end-of-course exams in algebra and geometry. The state warns that students performing at this level “may need additional support for the next grade/course.”