But the Christie administration warned the rate will decline once a more rigorous method of calculating the statistic takes effect
Clik here to view.
Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf, left, addresses the media during a press conference with Governor Chris Christie in this March 2011 photo.New Jersey awards diplomas to 87 percent of its high school students, making the state’s graduation rate the highest in the nation, an annual review released today shows.
Between 1998 and 2008, the state increased its pool of high school graduates by 11.1 percent, reflecting a national trend of graduation rate growth that took hold during the 2007-2008 school year, the Diplomas Count 2011 report found.
But the Christie administration quickly warned the state’s number of high school graduates will likely decline once a more rigorous, federally mandated method for calculating the statistic takes effect next fall.
"We have excellent school programs and teachers who are doing a great job in helping our students graduate," acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf said in a statement. "However, it is important that we know if our students are truly college-ready by generating more comprehensive and transparent data."
The figure calculated by the report’s authors falls 6 percentage points below the 93 percent graduation rate the state Department of Education published for the 2007-2008 school year. The report’s methodology reflects the type of rigorous standards Cerf calls for, according to Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, a nonprofit organization based in Bethesda, Md.
Cerf could not be reached to discuss the apparent discrepancy.
But in his statement today, the education commissioner cited the high rate of first-time students at community colleges in Bergen, Union and Essex counties who must take remedial math and English courses as proof the state must do more to prepare its high school students for college and career.
Clik here to view.
"We are very proud of our graduation rate, but other studies show that we still have much work to do," Cerf said.
The New Jersey Education Association fired back at the Christie administration for recasting a positive report about the state’s public schools into a condemnation, calling Cerf’s response to the report a "broken record."
"The cup is always half-empty with this administration," said Steve Wollmer, a spokesman for the state’s largest teachers union. "Their agenda is to privatize education, and they never miss an opportunity to demean the achievements of our public schools, even when the criticism is unfounded."
Stan Karp, director of secondary reform at the nonprofit Newark-based Education Law Center, said New Jersey’s standing in the graduation rate report is "basically good news," despite the Christie administration’s comments. Only four other states had greater graduation rate increases than New Jersey over the 10 years of data the report’s authors studied.
"I think we have had a narrative of failure coming from the administration that these statistics contradict," Karp said.
He pointed out that New Jersey is also doing better than other states on achievement-gap issues: The state boasts the highest graduation rate among Hispanic and African-American students.
Assembly Education Committee Chairman Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex) reflected the teachers union’s frustration with Cerf’s response to the data and said the Christie administration must stop its campaign to convince state residents their public schools are failing.
"When I drive around the state and talk to parents and other citizens of the Garden State, they are not surprised by the success of our schools," Diegnan said. "It’s sad that the governor and our education commissioner designee do not share that same knowledge."
Staff writer Jeanette Rundquist contributed to this report.