NORWICH – Too few of Norwich High School’s students with disabilities graduate on time and too many drop out, according to New York State, which has determined the district “Needs Assistance” in serving this portion of the student population.
According to Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan, the designation is a challenge for the district, but he said he is confident they will be able to rise above it as they have done others in the past.
“We will do our absolute best to provide necessary services to our students,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re going to make sure these students are successful.”
Iraina Gerchman, the district’s director of instruction and staff development, reported last week that the district had recently been notified that it failed to meet state targets in both of these areas for the third consecutive year, based on data from the 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09 school years.
Graduation rates for Norwich High School’s students with disabilities, which lag behind the rest of the student population, were above the state target of 38 in 2005/06, but dipped below that number in 2006/07 when only 33.3 percent of this portion of the student population reached graduation. The graduation rate has been on the decline since then, dropped to 32.3 percent the following year and to 24 percent in 2008/09, the last year for which data is available.
Dropout rates for students with disabilities have also failed to meet the state target, exceeding the state’s threshold for each of the last four academic years. The rate peaked in the 2005/06 year, when 28 percent of this portion of the student population left school prior to graduation. It dropped the following year to 19.4 percent, fractionally above the state’s target of 19 percent. It stayed steady through 2007/08, before jumping to 21 percent last year.
Comparatively, the graduation rates for all students has ranged from 73 percent to 84 percent during the same time period; drop out rates, from 3 to 6 percent.
According to Gerchman, the district has already taken steps to address these concerns. These steps have been laid out in a corrective action plan devised by the High School’s LINKS team, which has already been submitted to and approved by the state.
“It’s really that ninth grade year that is so critical,” said Gerchman, who explained that the LINKS team will concentrate on monitoring students during this pivotal transition year. Under the plan, the team will track grades, cumulative averages, class attendance, and the accumulation of credits for these students.
“The plan also provides for classroom coaching for ninth grade teachers in the areas of assessment, instructional strategies, and student engagement,” she said.
Even before the designation was made, Gerchman said the district had already begun addressing the graduation and drop out rates. Those actions included the creation of the school management center to serve students who had already been identified as high risk, as well as revamping freshman orientation and creating a freshman mentoring program to help ease the transition of incoming ninth graders.
The administrator said they will also plan to evaluate their progress this summer, and will revise their plan for next year as necessary.
Gerchman stressed that the district’s concern isn’t just about numbers, or being in corrective action.
“These are kids’ lives,” she said.

Graduation Rate, percentage of student population
All Students Students w/Disabilities State Target (Sw/D)
05-06   80 40 37
06-07   84 33.3 37
07-08   73 32.3 38
08-09   78 24 38
 
Drop Out Rate, percentage
All Students Students w/Disabilities State Target (Sw/D)
05-06   3 28 19
06-07   5 19.4 19
07-08   6 19.4 19
08-09   4 21 17