San Diego

California Audited by U.S. Department of Education for Reporting High School Graduation Rates

The U.S. Department of Education has singled out two states to audit to make sure those numbers are accurate and reliable.

School Districts across our state report the number of students graduating from high school every year to the California Department of Education.

Now, the U.S. Department of Education has singled out two states to audit to make sure those numbers are accurate and reliable.

Alabama is one and California is the other.

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General (OIG) is performing the audit. In an email to NBC 7, the office wrote:

“The OIG is responsible for the detection and prevention of waste, fraud, abuse and criminal activity involving Department of Education funds, programs or operations.”

In its plan for 2017, the OIG states it is working with the state to make sure it has systems of “internal control over calculating and reporting graduation rates.”

Although there is not a district singled out in the federal plan, last year the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) reported a 92 percent graduation rate. The report was made on the heels of research done by the University of California, San Diego, which expected a lower rate.

The Voice of San Diego has reported on whether on-line classes are rigorous--the fact that SDUSD allows students to pass requirements with grades of D's as opposed to C's. Voice of San Diego also questioned how students were doing academically before they left the district to attend charter schools.

“It's very important in terms of federal money coming in as to how many children are truly graduating from our public schools,” said Sally Smith, a community activist. “Millions, billions of dollars are being pumped into schools. San Diego Unified is no exception."

Andrew Sharp, a spokesperson for the SDUSD said: “The district submits our graduation rates to the California Department of Education every year. Every year those results are certified by the state. Historically, the internal number released by the district has closely tracked with the number certified by the state.”

“We have a very high level of confidence in these results. Teachers and students work hard every day to accomplish these results. They should be celebrated," he added.

Sharp also sent information to NBC 7 so the public can understand how the graduations rates are calculated. 

In an answer to a question about whether the OIG was investigating online courses as part of its audit, they said:

“The OIG is responsible for the detection and prevention of waste, fraud, abuse, and criminal activity involving department of education funds, programs, and operations. As such, we are concerned with reports of cheating scandals as they may have an impact on federal education funds. We are interested in hearing about and looking at allegations of cheating. However, we do not comment on what allegations we receive, nor do we confirm or deny investigative activity. These longstanding policies are in place to protect the integrity of any investigation and the privacy of any individuals that may be associated with an investigation. You can find more information on the OIG, copies and information on our completed work, which we do discuss, on our web site at www.ed.gov/oig."

Ed. Note: A previously published version of this article incorrectly identified San Diego Unified School District as the subject of the audit. We regret the error.

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