Bluewater District School Board proud of 2013-14 graduation rate of 82 per cent

Bluewater District School Board staff are encouraged by this week’s release of the board’s 2013-14 graduation rate which stands at 82 per cent. The provincial graduation rate is currently 84 per cent.

Spring, 2015, marks the first time that the province has released provincial and school board specific rates and also signals the introduction of a new Ontario Ministry of Education formula that uses the same calculation for all boards.

The graduation rate for the Bluewater board in 2004-05 was approximately 71 per cent based on the board’s calculation methods of the day.

The new formula takes into account all students who enrolled in Bluewater schools for Grade 9 in 2009-10, including those who moved away and graduated in other boards in Ontario. Likewise, Bluewater graduates who came from other boards in Ontario following their Grade 9 year are not included in the rate.

The graduation rate includes students with special education needs who are not working toward a diploma. These students, who are engaged in programming that will lead to Certificates of Accomplishment or Ontario Secondary School Certificates, represent about five per cent of the student population in Bluewater District.

The 2013-14 graduation rate of 82 per cent supports an upward trend over time. This trend is being attributed to programming changes such as dual credits, expanded co-operative education opportunities, E-learning courses, the Specialist High Skills Major program, Ontario youth apprenticeships and credit recovery. A number of additional strategies have also been introduced to maintain and improve upon these results.

“We are encouraged by the upward trend of our graduation rates over the past several years, which represents the hard work and dedication of all our staff," says education director Steve Blake. "Through this new provincial approach, we look forward to tracking trends and accomplishments that will further inform our Board Improvement Plan for Student Achievement."