Scrap graduation rate

The Jan. 28 editorial asks if Idaho’s virtual schools are failing based on graduation rates. The answer is no. It’s the federal graduation rate that has failed.

The federal rate adopted by Idaho uses a four-year cohort model that doesn’t account for mobility and punishes schools that serve at-risk students. Students who graduate after four years are counted the same as drop outs.

The federal rate is built for traditional school systems where students are zoned into schools and generally remain. High school students in virtual schools are all transfers. A high percentage, over 40 percent for Idaho Virtual Academy (IDVA), enter under-credited. The federal rate penalizes virtual schools for serving under-credited students even when they help kids obtain a high school degree. It creates a harmful disincentive for schools to accept and serve at-risk students.

At IDVA, 90 percent of high school students who stayed enrolled four years graduated within the federally required time frame. Idaho should scrap the federal model and instead measure progress toward graduation for the actual time a student is enrolled in a school. IDVA is dedicated to serving all students regardless of their academic needs despite how it impacts our graduation rate.

Kelly Edginton, Idaho Virtual Academy

Meridian, Idaho