LAUSD announced earlier this week that its graduation rate of 75% last year was its highest graduation rate ever, but as Howard Blume and Sonali Kohli write in the L.A. Times

That achievement, announced by L.A. Unified Supt. Michelle King on Tuesday at Garfield High School, brought acclaim from an audience of administrators and dignitaries, but also led some to wonder again whether such improvement is real. 

The milestone represents a breathtaking turnaround between December and June.

In December, only about half of seniors were on track to graduate under new, more difficult requirements that were taking effect for the first time. But a controversial triage already was underway, employing a lengthy list of programs that specialize in credit recovery.” 

They explain

Although officials have steadfastly defended the district’s academic integrity, they present limited data to make their case. Officials still are trying to determine which students took advantage of which credit-recovery options.

In an article for Education Next, “Credit Recovery Hits the Mainstream,” Sarah Carr examines the various ways credit recovery is being used by school districts and takes a close look at the lack of accountability in many programs.

-Education Next