Ohio public schools have seen their graduation rates drop as districts nationwide move to a new federal formula for calculating students who finish high school.
For example, Dayton public schools have a 2010 graduation rate around 59 percent under the new formula, though the state's current calculation puts the district's graduation rate above 84 percent.
The new rates appeared today on the state's annual school report card for the 2010-11 academic year. Officials say the updated method is a more uniform accounting of students. It requires schools to be more vigilant in tracking students who may have dropped out.
Most states are required to convert to the new calculation this year, but the number won't count as part of federal No Child Left Behind benchmarks until 2012-13.