NPR: Graduation Rates Up, Expectations Down

President Obama announced recently that U.S. high school graduation rates have hit an all-time high, but many are viewing the new record with scrutiny.

This is the fifth year in a row that the White House has reported a record graduation rate. According to CNN, the 83.2% rate recorded during the 2014-15 school year was up a percentage point from the previous year.

“When we understand that no matter what you look like, where you come from, what faith you are, whether you’re a boy or a girl, that you should have great opportunities to succeed and that requires you to put effort into it,” Obama said to students at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C.

However, some skeptics are doubting how hard today’s students are working to achieve that diploma.

“You don’t know how many students who were in that graduation rate actually completed a rigorous course of study,” Achieve President Michael Cohen told NPR. “We’re not transparent about that. We’re concealing a problem.”

A judge in Connecticut recently criticized watered-down graduation rates in the Constitution State. Meanwhile, nearly 50% of states now offer multiple diplomas, and states like Georgia have eliminated state exit exams.

“It's difficult to know which states earned this uptick in graduation rates through high standards and hard work and which states achieved it through shortcuts and lowered expectations,” wrote Cory Turner. “In some cases, it’s all of the above.”

In comparison to the record graduation rates, the Nation’s Report Card concluded that most high school seniors aren’t college or career ready, while average scores on the ACT and SAT are down.

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