The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) recently sent a memo to the field regarding Graduation/Dropout Review. This letter provides critical information about preparing to meet the new U.S. Department of Education regulations for cohort graduation rate calculations when the Graduation and Dropout (GAD) Application is released on January 5, 2009.

This memo lists deadlines and actions that should be followed to prepare for and complete district’s GAD review. Your district’s GAD authorized users will be able to review their 2008 cohort of students and make requests for minimal changes to the data through February 6, 2009. This will be district’s only opportunity to review and appeal their graduation rate data.

If you have questions, contact CEPI at cepi@michigan.gov or 517.335.0505 (select option 3). If you need assistance in understanding the impact of the four-year and five-year graduation rates on your district, contact MDE’s Office of Educational Assessment and Accountability at 877.560.8378. As always, thank you for your continued collaboration with CEPI and MDE.