Transcript Audit & Graduation

RICHMOND

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Transcript Audit & Graduation

Update for the Richmond City School Board

Presented by: Tracy Epp, Chief Academic Officer Venue: Richmond City School Board Meeting Date: May 20, 2019

Richmond Public Schools | 301 North 9th Street | Richmond, VA |

Transcript Audit & Graduation: Update for the Richmond City School Board

Transcript Work Is Still Ongoing

So far...

? As of today, senior transcripts have been reviewed eight times. (Multiple rounds have

been necessary, as new issues have been identified in each round.)

? All 9th, 10th, and 11th grade transcripts have been reviewed at least twice, with a third

round in process for those that are still displaying errors.

? At this point, errors are almost entirely defined by: courses taken multiple times for credit,

courses taken in middle school and inappropriately assigned credit, and unapproved local courses that shouldn't have resulted in credit.

Next steps

? Transcripts for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders are awaiting third round review (second round

changes have been completed).

? Newly finalized business rules (as of 5-16-19) from VDOE will be applied in next round of

review.

? Once final grades are in, for a small set of students, duplicate credits will be removed.

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Transcript Audit & Graduation: Update for the Richmond City School Board

Big Step Forward With New Transcript Format

OLD

NEW

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Transcript Audit & Graduation: Update for the Richmond City School Board

Audit Has Revealed Much Deeper Issues Than the Transcript Itself

In addition to issues related to the transcript itself, the Administration has uncovered other significant gaps:

Ineffective scheduling/course selection ? Students scheduled into courses they have already taken, even in the current year ? Seniors not scheduled for a sequential elective (required for graduation) ? Seniors not scheduled for a full course load

Lack of systematic tracking of progress to graduation ? Seniors missing verified credits ? Seniors missing a CTE credential (this was not previously reported or tracked on transcripts) ? Seniors missing necessary courses but not enrolled in those courses

Absence of codified business rules that prevent technology from being a reliable tool ? No systems for validating course codes, titles, or weights ? No checks or validations of GPA and class rank algorithms ? No standard workflows with designated owners and approvers ? No systems for how to consistently communicate data

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Transcript Audit & Graduation: Update for the Richmond City School Board

Those Issues May Have an Impact on Graduation Rates This Year

Lack of verified credits (as required by diploma type) ? By far, this is the most common reason for a student being at risk (~330 students). ? Students earn verified credits by passing an end-of-course SOL exam or by qualifying for a locally-awarded verified credit. ? Students in this situation often pass the course but do not meet the standard on the SOL exam. ? In such a case, the Division is required to certify the student's mastery of course content through some other mechanism before awarding the credit. This has typically not happened. Credit has typically been awarded automatically. RPS is no longer doing this.

Lack of CTE credential (for standard diploma only) ? This is the second most common reason for a student being at risk (~130 students).

Lack of appropriate coursework (as required by diploma type) ? This is the third most common reason for a student being at risk (~70 students). ? Students may not be currently scheduled in a necessary class, may be missing a sequential elective, or may be failing one or more classes (which has the potential to be a more significant issue this year due to the new attendance policy).

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