High school graduation is a rite of passage and marks a student’s official preparation for post-secondary life, whether that be college, the military, or employment. In this paper, we define employment as work that earns wages above the poverty level. The purpose of this paper is to provide the requirements for graduation in Ohio and to help students and parents develop a plan for graduation and beyond. The starting place is with requirements for graduation. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on the graduation rates of public schools in Ohio and what parents need to know to prepare students for post-secondary success. We argue that graduation rates are not a true indicator of student readiness for post-secondary success and that parents need early interventions to ensure students are on track for success after graduation.
For the remainder of this paper, we will use information for the graduating classes of 2020 and beyond. In order to receive a diploma, students must earn 20 course credits as well as earn 18 points on End of Course exams. The graduation rate for the class of 2020 was 85%, 2019 was 85.9%, and 2018 was 85.3% (ODE, 2020a). The National Center of Education Statistics (NCES, 2021a), is slightly different and shows 82% as the graduation rate for Ohio’s 2018-2019 cohort. The goal for Ohio, as with any state, is 100%.
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