MANUAL - To comply with federal and state law (No Child Left Behind and Utah State Board of Education Board Rule R277-419-6), once a student enters ninth grade they are assigned to a graduating cohort (a group of students who graduate in the same school year) with the expectation of graduating within the next four years. Once a student completes their expected graduation school year, they are considered either a graduate, a non-graduate, or excluded from the graduating cohort due to various reasons, such as a transfer out of state, transfer to private school, death, or medical withdraw.
A high school completion code and/or the type of withdrawal code entered in the Skyward Student system indicates whether or not a particular student of a cohort graduated. These codes are transmitted to the Utah State Board of Education’s “UTREX” system nightly. The last school that enrolled the student gets credited with the student’s graduation status and will also get credited for any student who is considered a drop-out.
Each year the State compiles a cohort report that divides non-graduates into three subgroups: Drop-outs, Continuing Students, and Other Completers (Aged out of Special Ed, Completion Certificate or GED). If a student’s graduation status is unknown the student will be considered a drop-out. “Unknown” status includes (but is not limited to):
- A student who is reported as transferred to another school within the state if no subsequent enrollment is reported. (A written request for transfer of records is is required. )
- A student who finishes 11th grade with a YE (year-end) exit code, if they do not show up the next year in a Utah public school.
- A student who attends a non-state or non-district approved program, a private school “not regularly organized,” or home school without being annually released by the district and/or without verification that the student is being taught the State Board prescribed courses for the same amount of time as other students in the district.
- A student who was not temporarily excused due to suspension, court action, illness, or other extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student.
- A student who did not complete the previous year and has unexcused absences of ten (10) consecutive days or more prior to and including October 1st is counted as a dropout the previous year.
- A “summer dropout” or “fall no show” is one who has completed the previous school year, but does not return to school the following school year. The student counts as a dropout for the year and grade for which the student fails to report.
Dropout Reporting
In an effort to improve Jordan School District’s dropout statistics at the State Board of Education, it is important each student has an accurate accounting of their enrollment. Each year Planning and Student Services sends secondary schools a “drop-out” report to review the records of students who did not complete the prior school year and determine whether or not an existing dropout exit code can be changed (thus lowering the dropout rate). All corrections made on this report will be reflected in the State system.
Common issues to watch for:
- Student transfers to another public school but is still showing on your school’s report. Check that the student actually transferred to a public school and not a private school, home school, or out of state. Then update the code.
- Student is showing in a different cohort than when they student graduated or will graduate. The grade may have previously been entered incorrectly, or the student repeated a grade. Correct the student’s grade.
- Student is showing up as a dropout for your school, but you are sure they graduated from another school in the state. Most likely the student was assigned two different SSIDs. Submit a request to get the SSIDs merged in UTREX.
- An exit code was updated in a school’s SIS system but not in UTREX. A special request must be made to the State to correct errors. This can be noted on the drop-out report.
Ways to assist in resolving issues:
- The Data Gateway in the UTREX system (if you don’t have access to UTREX, the principal may request access by emailing a request to Information Systems)
- Permanent record’s requests from schools
- The Quarterly Exit list
- Demographic information from siblings, family and previous emergency contacts
- Southpointe Adult High School’s list of graduates