Family & Community Students & Families Student Support, Career & Education Services
Dropout Reduction:
Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery

Legislation and Regulations

Federal:

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act: NCLB require states to establish a high school graduation rate standard for use in Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) determinations. The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved a four-year graduation rate standard of 65 percent for the class of 2008 or a two percentage point increase in the four-year graduation rate from the class of 2007 to the class of 2008.

Massachusetts:

Mass. General Laws Chapter 76, Section 18: Notice to parent or guardian and meeting with school committee prerequisite to student permanently leaving school; annual report; application of section states that no student age 16 or older shall be considered to have permanently left public school unless a school administrator has sent notice to the student's parent or guardian inviting the parent/guardian and student to a meeting to discuss educational options available to the student.

The intent of this law, which has been in effect since 1973, is to encourage schools to reach out to parents or guardians of students at risk of dropping out, by inviting the parent/guardian and the student to meet with a school administrator or counselor to discuss the educational options that are available.

Mass. General Laws Chapter 69: Section 1N: Alternative education grant program establishes two grant programs - one for grants to public school districts to establish or expand Alternative Education programs or schools and the second for grants to school districts to create safe and supportive learning environments through in-school violence prevention programs and addressing the needs of students exposed to violence.

Chapter 315 of the Acts of 2008: An Act to Improve Dropout Prevention and Reporting of Graduation Rates establishes a graduation and dropout prevention and recovery commission to survey dropout prevention and recovery best practices and programs nationwide and to evaluate dropout prevention and recovery programs currently in use. The Commission is required to submit a final report with recommendations on ten topic areas by May 15, 2009. The Act also reinforces current Department of Elementary and Secondary Education policy regarding reporting high school dropout and graduation rate data.

Required Annual Notice for Two Years After Students Leave School Without a Diploma. Starting in school year 2006-07, there is a Department requirement that all Massachusetts public school districts serving students in high school grades provide annual written notice to former students who have not yet earned their competency determinations, and who have not transferred to another school: (i) to inform them of the availability of publicly funded post-high school academic support programs, and (ii) to encourage them to participate in those programs. At a minimum, a district must send annual written notice by first class mail to the last known address of each such student who attended a high school in the district within the past two years.