This week the Marshalltown School Board heard an update from Dr. Susan Pecinovsky regarding graduation rates from the 2011-2012 school year.
There is some confusion as the Iowa Department of Education projected the rate at 77.7%, yet also stated that the numbers wouldn't be available until the spring of 2013.
Regardless, Superintendent Dr. Marvin Wade, stated that things need to get better. Wade said, "Instead of telling students that we want you to graduate and we will give you as much time as you need, we really need to be saying, we'll give you extra help when you need it, but we'll do so in that 4 year time frame." Wade explained that students who graduate in more than four years do not count on the schoo's graduation numbers.
Pecinovsky said that there are steps in place, for the school to improve the numbers. "We're making sure our students are proficient in Math, Science, and Reading, looking at research to know what our students need, and offering students extra help after school and on the weekends." Pecinovsky also added that with the requirements from the state and federal governments being so strict, the district needs to be able to change cirriculum to meet the standards.
The MHS graduation rate is supposed to be at 95% in 2014.
