By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Buhler USD 313 received its numbers for postsecondary progress and USD 313 Superintendent Cindy Couchman is pleased.
"They look at two years out after graduation and they say, if a student has a certificate, they obtained a certificate in high school, we're talking like a welding certificate, a CNA certificate in high school, that would be considered successful," Couchman said. "That's a certificate within two years of graduating. The other two are having to do with in college. Are you enrolled two years after graduating from high school or have you already earned a degree two years out of high school."
The effective rate for Buhler is up to 68.4% in 2019, the newest year added, with a five year effective average of 64%.
"I'm excited about that it is that high," Couchman said. "I'm also excited that we beat what we call our predicted effective rate. That is where they statistically calculate our at-risk factors. Those at-risk factors are things like cumulative poverty, mobility, chronic absenteeism, that's 10% or more of the school year missed."
Couchman notes that following the at-risk metrics will be important in the next couple of years in particular, as the years being dealt with are all pre-COVID on the latest numbers.
"We've had a lot of students move around the last two years due to COVID," Couchman said. "The other one is cumulative poverty. Ironically, our poverty comes from those home economic surveys and the free and reduced lunches. Our poverty count has actually went down, because families didn't turn them in. Those factors have went down, where their chronic absenteeism went up because students missed more school last year and the last two years."
Couchman also notes that there could be a significant impact on if students started college or not.