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BCSC projects graduation rate could reach mid-90s as ADM drops and virtual enrollment grows
Summary
Dr. Phillips told the Bartholomew Con School Corp board that internal cohort-team projections suggest the district’s high-school graduation rate could approach about 95–96% within three years, while fall ADM fell by about 225 students—partly linked to transfers into other virtual programs. Staff described tightened accountability for BCSC’s virtual pathway and efforts to reconnect transient students.
At a BCSC board meeting (date not provided in the transcript), Superintendent Dr. Phillips presented updated, pre-release projections that show the district’s high-school graduation rate could climb to roughly 95–96% within the next three years based on cohort-team reviews and local interventions. He said the projections await official verification from the Indiana Department of Education after the state’s reconciliation process, which staff said typically completes in late December with public release by early January.
Dr. Phillips credited the work of cohort teams and individualized supports for the upward projection, saying the teams “meet with every team and walk through all of the data from their cohort” and that those conversations led to higher projected numbers. Board members asked for clarification about when the state’s official numbers will arrive; staff replied that the district expects the updated figures to appear at the board’s first January meeting after the DOE reconciliation.
District staff also reported a fall Average Daily Membership (ADM) decline of about 225 students compared with the prior year. The ADM presenter noted several contributing patterns: a smaller incoming kindergarten class, 40 students who graduated early at the end of their junior year, and an increase in families enrolling in other districts’ virtual programs while living inside BCSC boundaries (the transcript lists 45 BCSC-resident students shown in a Clarksville program). The ADM presenter told the board this transfer data comes from state transfer reports and that local student-level reasons are captured only when building administrative staff follow up.
Board members pressed staff on how virtual attendance and progress are measured. Mr. Edwards (secondary virtual programming lead) explained that a full-time Columbus Virtual Pathways (CVP) student is expected to be active online about 30 minutes per class per day (roughly 2.5 hours total) and that cohort teams require quarterly in-person check-ins; staff said those rules aim to reduce nonproductive transfers and to ensure students who struggle online are steered back to in-person options when appropriate.
The board discussed supports for transient families and McKinney-Vento protections. Staff described outreach steps when a student leaves the district—calling receiving districts and families, and reporting to a national clearinghouse when a student’s whereabouts are unknown—so the district can either maintain or transfer accountability for graduation and attendance as appropriate.
The presentation flagged data limits: staff said the state transfer reports do not capture homeschool transitions and that some student-level reasons for transfer are only available when families or receiving districts provide narrative information. The board requested follow-up reports comparing BCSC’s college-credit and AP attainment with state averages and asked for continued quarterly updates on cohort outcomes.
Next steps: district staff will present official DOE numbers after state reconciliation and continue quarterly cohort reviews tied to the district’s strategic focus on graduation.
