Lincoln Public Schools District Office building. (Jeff Motz/KFOR News) LINCOLN–(KFOR/News Release Nov. 27)–Lincoln Public Schools on Wednesday announced the district has reached it’s goal for the 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan’s on-time graduation rate.  That rate has been raised to 87%. The focus has been on reducing existing differentials between student groups. “This is a time for reflection and celebration for our district,” LPS Superintendent Paul Gausman said in a statement. “I am impressed by the work being done by this school district, our administrators, our staff, and the continued collaboration and partnership with our families and the community to support our students.” LPS Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Sarah Salem told KFOR News on Wednesday, “This was not just because of the work done by our high schools, but because of the dedication and commitment by all of our staff in grades preschool through 12th grade. Each and every staff member at Lincoln Public Schools truly plays a role in this achievement.” Every fall, the Nebraska Department of Education and LPS releases accountability data to the community, including graduation rates. NDE uses the AQuESTT framework – Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow. When it comes to graduation rates, LPS uses a different formula than what the Nebraska Department of Education uses in evaluating and assessment of the rate in the district.  LPS has followed a general rule of calculating on-time graduation rates for students that start in 9th grade at LPS high schools and graduate in four years on time.  Under the LPS formula, the 2024 graduation rate improved from 83.9% to 87.6%, an increase of 3.7%. The Nebraska Department of Education calculates the graduation rate using any student who was enrolled in an LPS high school at any point during high school, even if they enrolled for the last semester of their senior year.  Under that formula, LPS’ graduation rate improved from 82.4% to 85.4%, an increase of 3.0%. There were also significant increases across most demographics. Below is a break down by school. LPS Graduation Rate by High School (2020-2024) LPS EHS LHS LNS LNE LNW LSE LSW 2020 82.5% 91.1% 74.8% 77.8% 73.6% — 84% 91.6% 2021 81.9% 90.5% 74.4% 81.1% 70.5% — 81.4% 91.6% 2022 83.9% 91.4% 77.9% 81.7% 74.7% — 83.6% 92.7% 2023 83.9% 95.1% 80.5% 80.1% 74.4% — 80.6% 88.8% 2024 87.6% 92.7% 83.0% 87.9% 80.7% 78.4% 89.7% 93.7% LPS District Longitudinal Graduation Rate by Race/Ethnicity (2020-2024) Year All Students American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black/ African American Hispanic/ Latino/ Latina White Two or More Races 2020 82.5% 57.1% 90.5% 65.5% 67.3% 87.3% 72.5% 2021 81.9% 52.6% 92.5% 64.9% 72.2% 85.8% 71.3% 2022 83.9% 41.4% 90.3% 70.4% 72.1% 88.5% 76.7% 2023 83.9% 57.1% 91.6% 77.1% 71.9% 87.6% 75.5% 2024 87.6% 55.6% 92.4% 86.3% 80.8% 90.4% 78.2% NDE 4-Year Longitudinal Graduation Rate by Race/Ethnicity (2020-2024) Year All Students American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black/ African American Hispanic/ Latino/ Latina White Two or More Races 2020 80.8% 57.9% 89.1% 64.4% 65.3% 85.8% 71.2% 2021 80.5% 54.6% 92.2% 63.0% 71.1% 84.6% 69.2% 2022 82.3% 40.0% 86.6% 68.6% 71.4% 87.4% 75.2% 2023 82.4% 60.9% 92.4% 73.9% 70.5% 86.3% 74.7% 2024** 85.4% 50.0% 88.6% 79.7% 77.1% 89.3% 77.2% In addition to raising the graduation rate, there was also a decrease in the dropout rate to the lowest level in five years. The LPS dropout rate went from 6.3% for the class of 2023 to a 4.20% dropout rate for the class of 2024. As for the ACT exam scores, LPS saw increases in composite scores and remined above the state average in every subject area.  The LPS composite score increased by 0.3 to 19.4 while the state remained flat at 18.7. 2-Year High School ACT Scores (Juniors) English Math Reading Science Composite STATE OF NEBRASKA State 22-23 17.6 18.6 19.0 19.1 18.7 State 23-24 17.5 18.6 19.1 19.0 18.7 LINCOLN PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2022-2023 17.8 19.1 19.7 19.4 19.1 2023-2024 18.0 19.5 20.2 19.5 19.4 EAST HIGH SCHOOL 2022-2023 19.7 21.0 21.8 21.3 21.1 2023-2024 20.4 21.6 23.0 21.6 21.8 LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL 2022-2023 17.2 18.4 19.1 18.8 18.5 2023-2024 17.2 18.7 19.1 18.7 18.6 NORTH STAR HIGH SCHOOL 2022-2023 16.1 18.2 18.1 18.5 17.8 2023-2024 16.0 18.0 18.1 17.7 17.6 NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL 2022-2023 16.2 17.1 17.7 17.3 17.2 2023-2024 15.9 17.9 18.3 17.8 17.6 NORTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL 2022-2023 14.6 16.4 17.0 17.2 16.5 2023-2024 14.8 16.9 17.9 17.5 16.9 SOUTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL 2022-2023 19.4 20.1 21.1 20.4 20.3 2023-2024 19.9 20.5 21.6 20.7 20.8 SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL 2022-2023 19.0 20.4 21.2 20.8 20.5 2023-2024 19.2 20.8 21.4 20.9 20.7 Class of 2025 – High School Juniors NSCAS ACT Percent Proficient ELA Math Science Composite Score 22-23 23-24 22-23 23-24 22-23 23-24 22-23 23-24 State 46% 45% 42% 42% 49% 49% 18.7 18.7 LPS 43% 47% 42% 45% 48% 49% 19.1 19.4 NSCAS Growth is used as part of AQuESTT reporting framework by NDE. Students take the assessment in third through eighth grades for English Language Arts (ELA) and math, and science in fifth and eighth grades. Salem added, “It is important to remember that the data provided in these reports are just a snapshot and do not tell the whole story of the teaching and learning happening in our classrooms. We use several tools to assess student learning and make adjustments throughout the school year.” NDE adjusted NSCAS cut scores for proficiency on ELA and Math in the summer of 2024. This in addition to standards changes and local curriculum changes makes it difficult to compare proficiency rates from year-to-year. Like many other Nebraska school districts, LPS uses Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth tests in reading and math during the fall and winter, and the mandatory statewide NSCAS Growth tests at the end of the school year. The MAP Growth tests provide information about LPS student achievement in reading and math compared to the national norm group.  It also gives schools information about individual students and their individual growth between the two MAP testing events. While LPS students outscore the national average on MAP reading assessments at the elementary level, they are slightly (within one to two percentage points) lower than the state average on NSCAS reading assessments in grades 3-5. Fall 2024 MAP School Achievement Percentiles LPS MAP Fall 2024 LPS MAP ELA Percentile Rank LPS MAP Math Percentile Rank Grade 4 64 62 Grade 5 51 45 Grade 6 58 59 Grade 7 55 63 Grade 8 53 67 MAP percentile rank represents the national average based on national norms, therefore the national norm is always 50. 2024 Elementary School: Percent Proficient ELA Math Science Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 5 State 59% 59% 57% 61% 60% 61% 83% LPS 58% 57% 56% 58% 55% 60% 81% 2024 Middle School: Percent Proficient ELA Math Science Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 8 State 58% 58% 63% 57% 55% 57% 66% LPS 57% 59% 63% 55% 56% 56% 63% “We anticipate improvements in reading scores in future years as these scores represent the first year of implementation with our new CKLA reading implementation,” said Salem. “For the 25-26 school year and beyond, LPS is working with the NDE on the Nebraska Literacy Project as one of our priorities to raise literacy scores across our district.” AQuESTT The NDE AQuESTT framework is based on several indicators for which districts and schools are classified as Excellent, Great, Good, or Needs Support to Improve. The determination of state classifications is based on the following data: NSCAS-Growth state assessment scores in grades 3-8, in English/language arts and math Student growth, and reduction in non-proficiency from the previous year At high school, percent of students on track to meet college readiness benchmarks on the ACT The percent of students participating in state assessments At the high school level, four-year and extended 7-year graduation rates Reduction of chronic absenteeism Progress toward English Language proficiency (as measured by ELPA) Science proficiency Additionally, 2024 is the first time that the AQuESTT report includes the percentage of students who received an out-of-school suspension. Although it is not currently factored into the AQuESTT formula, NDE is currently working to determine how the data will be used in future years. This year, NDE adjusted the percentage levels for each designation. Even with LPS’s overall percent proficiency staying within less than half of a percent, the ACT scores increasing in every subject area, and the graduation rate increasing significantly, the LPS AQuESTT rating went from Great to Good in 2024. “LPS continues to share our concerns with NDE that tenet indicators and adjustments unfairly disadvantage schools with greater percentages of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch,” said Salem. “As a district, LPS does not rely heavily on AQuESTT ratings to evaluate teaching and learning. Instead, we use a combination of more sensitive academic measures such as DIBELS, MAP, classroom assessments, screeners, ACT, and other district assessments to measure student progress.” LPS AQuESTT Rating (2020-2024) 2020-2021 Great 2021-2022 Good 2022-2023 Great 2023-2024 Good