State keeping tabs on graduates

The state is now following students long past high school graduation.

They will be tracked through college, allowing New York to post after-graduation statistics for every school district. The state Education Department recently released the first set of data, covering the past three years, as a “Where are they now?” report.

The figures came as a bit of a surprise to some school leaders. They had expected higher percentages of students going to college.

At Mohonasen, 86 percent of last year’s graduates said they were going to college. But when the state searched every name in the National Student Clearinghouse to determine who actually enrolled in college, some students’ names didn’t pop up.

State officials are using the percentages to discuss college readiness and why some students do not make it through their first year of college.

The cost, poor preparation and confusion about college requirements top the list, according to the state.

And although Mohonasen was surprised that 80 percent of its graduates made it through their first year, officials acknowledged that higher education has its pitfalls.

“Economics are definitely a factor,” Superintendent of Schools Kathleen Spring said.

And then there’s persistence.

“They have to be consistent. It’s hard to keep plowing through,” she said.

Mohonasen is building a high-tech center that could serve as an alternative to college. It will teach hands-on skills that could translate into good jobs right after graduation, she said. There will be laboratories for nursing, welding, manufacturing and nanotechnology, among other professions.

“We have to rethink ‘All kids have to go to college,’ ” Spring said. “Give them the skills to make a choice.”

But many young adults are still convinced college is the best way to success, including Chris Sagastume, 21, who dropped out of Schenectady County Community College in his first semester.

“I had to start paying bills early — I had to get an apartment,” he said. “I didn’t have time for school. I had to get a full-time job.”

Now he regrets the decision and wishes family could have taken him in while he attended college.

“I definitely would’ve stayed,” he said. “If you don’t have that, you pretty much don’t have a future.”

Others are going to great lengths to get that diploma.

“I’m working 40 hours a week and going to school full-time,” said Tabitha Dart, 27, a student at SCCC. “I’m living on caffeine.”

She’s almost done — she will graduate in the fall and transfer to a four-year school.

“I’ve always wanted to help people, and unfortunately, for certain jobs you need a college degree,” she said. “I want to be a social worker, so I’m doing what I have to do.”

At many schools, students can now earn some of their credits in high school, saving them money and time in college. SCCC is setting up agreements with schools in the county.

One of the earliest agreements was the Smart Scholars program in Schenectady. Last June, the first Smart Scholars graduated. Ten students had earned at least 20 college credits, and one had earned enough for a full year of college.

But working out the finances is another matter.

“I think it’s overwhelming for a 12th-grader to get through that process and figure it out,” Spring said.

He said more high schools need funds for a college counselor to help students.

“We have guidance counselors, but I want a college counselor who knows the ins and outs of college,” he said. “Make it simple and accessible.”

As for whether Mohonasen was correct that 86 percent of its grads went to college, state officials acknowledged the numbers could be slightly wrong. The National Student Clearinghouse gets students’ names from 98 percent of the public and private colleges and universities in the country. But the state would not list the students as attending higher education if they enrolled in another country or in one of the few institutions that do not share student names with the clearinghouse.

Students can also choose to keep their names out of the clearinghouse.

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