The following is now posted on all DOE School Report Cards under the categories “School Drop-Out Rates” and “Post-Graduation Plans”:

NOTE: The New Jersey Department of Education is well-aware of the possible inaccuracy in dropout rates and graduation rates that have traditionally been based over the years on districts’ self-reported numbers of their dropouts and graduates. With the development of the student-level data system called NJ SMART, in the 2011 report card to be published in February 2012, the state will use the student records of those students who entered high school in 2007 as the source of the numbers and percentages of dropouts and graduates. The graduation rate for the class of 2011 will meet the requirements of the new federally mandated adjusted cohort graduation rate to be used by all states.