PLYMOUTH – The majority of Plymouth High School’s class of 2018 is on track to graduate, despite statistics from the Ohio Department of Education that say otherwise.
In a report in The Plain Dealer on Dec. 13, 2016, data from the Ohio Department of Education suggested that of Plymouth’s 58 junior students, zero had already met requirements for graduation but 65.5 percent of students were on track to meet requirements.
It’s a number that shocked Plymouth High School Principal Greg Sigg.
“When I look at our kids and our data, I think we’re doing everything we can to get the kids where we need to be,” Sigg said. “I know we have kids who are meeting expectations and exceeding expectations to be on track for graduation.”
Under new state requirements, high school students need to earn 18 points on seven end-of-course tests to graduate. Students can earn one point if they score as Limited on a state end-of-course exam, two for Basic, three for Proficient, four for Accelerated and five for Advanced.
The end-of-course tests include: Algebra 1 or Integrated Math 1; Geometry or Integrated Math 2, American Government, American History, English 1, English 2, and Biology. Students must have a minimum of four points in math, four points in English and six points across science and social studies.
Sigg believes his juniors are statistically measured as not having met requirements for graduation because none of them have taken the end-of-course exam for American Government yet. If you look solely at points earned for graduation, 34 of Plymouth’s 58 juniors have already earned 18 points or higher towards graduation.
“If you take calculate 18 points over the seven tests, they need to average 2.5 points per test,” Sigg explained. “There are 41 of our kids out of the 58 that are averaging enough points to get to the 18 eventually.”
That’s not mentioning the 29 Plymouth juniors (50 percent of the junior class) who attend Pioneer Career & Technology Center. State graduation requirements state students can also receive credit towards graduation by earning State Board of Education-approved, industry recognized credits in a single career field and scoring high on a work-readiness test.
Based on this measure, Sigg estimates that 51 out of Plymouth’s 58 junior students have already met state requirements for graduation, without even taking their government end-of-course exam.
“It’s a very different number,” said Sigg with a laugh.
Formerly a high school math teacher with Bellevue, numbers are important to Sigg. This is his first year as principal for Plymouth High School, and he is committed to supporting the junior class in every way possible.
“When the state anticipates maybe two-thirds of the class of 2018 to graduate, there’s 130,000 kids in that 2018 class, are we really going to face 40,000 kids not graduating? That’s a scary number to think about,” he said. “I really try to focus on what we’re doing for our kids and if we’re meeting their needs.”
A large part of helping Plymouth students towards graduation is the school’s partnership with Pioneer, as 50 percent of the junior class attends Pioneer. In addition to allowing students to explore different career options, Pioneer often offers an alternative pathway to graduation.
“I fully believe with time and commitment that all students are capable of learning and meeting the requirements for graduation, and our teachers reflect that belief everyday in the classroom,” Sigg said. “However, not all students enter high school with the same skill set and for some it will take much more work than others.
“When we talk to students about pathways to graduation, we are honest about how much work we think it will take to get there based on their individual needs and achievements,” he continued. “While we remain committed to remediation for students to improve test scores, attending Pioneer can give students a safeguard against the possibility that their test scores do not improve.”
In addition to their partnership with Pioneer, Plymouth has supported its students by recently purchasing Chromebooks for every student to transport between home and school. Sigg noted students also use a 30-minute intervention period every day to meet with teachers, catch up on schoolwork or discuss retaking their end-of-course exams to meet graduation requirements.
“With the kids who needed to retest, we put them into our credit recovery program,” Sigg said. “Students take just the pretests and try to determine an area of weakness, then from that area of weakness you can get into that specific content and work to try and understand what’s going on.
“There’s some stress associated with it, but we’re paying very careful attention to what’s going on and who’s doing what they need to do.”
Sigg cited motivation as one hurdle to tackle when trying to bring his students up to the graduation requirements. Working with students from ages 15 to 16, it can be a challenge to help them focus on the long-term goal of graduation.
“I know when I was a sophomore or junior I had no idea what I was going to be doing with my life,” Sigg said. “With the changes and the way the state’s run now, we’re asking kids to make these decisions about going to Pioneer or focusing on college readiness really halfway through their sophomore year, and your graduation could hinge on that decision. It’s tough for them to see the end goal and where they want to be.”
Still, Sigg is optimistic about Plymouth’s class of 2018.
“We’re doing everything we can, and I hope the state continues to talk about our system in place and determine whether that’s really the most appropriate thing for students,” he said.
