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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Standing guard ... City gears up for hearings on future growth ... Medford School District on the hunt for teachers ... Standing guard ... City gears up for hearings on future growth ... Medford School District on the hunt for teachers ... OUR VIEW Our View: Improving graduation rates isn't easy Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 30, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Jan. 30, 2015 at 12:01 AM What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.mailtribune.com/sendletter. » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.mailtribune.com/sendletter. » Social News New reports of 2014 graduation rates for Oregon high schools are encouraging, especially those showing most local high schools exceeding the state average for the percentage of students graduating in four years. And three of the nine local districts improved over the previous year. But students in alternative programs who struggle with school work continue to lag far behind their peers in finishing high school. North Medford High School reported a graduation rate of 76.41 percent last year, and South Medford's rate was 77.8, both comfortably above the state average of 71.98 percent. But the Medford district-wide average was 65.21 percent. That's because Central Medford, the district's alternative high school, had a rate of 18.71 percent, dragging down the district rate. The same phenomenon was at work in Phoenix, where 83.33 percent of Phoenix High School students graduated in four years, but only 67.36 percent district-wide. Armadillo Technical Institute, the district's alternative school, graduated only 11.76 percent. To be fair, even those alternative-school rates are improvements over the previous year. But the disparity shows how far districts have to go to reach the statewide goal set by Gov. John Kitzhaber of a 100 percent graduation rate by 2025.  Some of the improvement is the result a change in how graduates are counted. The state previously did not count modified diplomas in the total, nor did it count students who had completed all requirements for a diploma but had not received it. Both groups were included for the 2013-14 school year, giving a more accurate picture of how schools were performing. That's important when comparing Oregon to other states. Federal figures released for the 2012-13 school year ranked Oregon 49th for its graduation rate, but many states were counting modified diplomas that year, and other states also require fewer credits for a diploma than Oregon. The Medford School Board has adopted goals calling for an 80 percent graduation rate by 2017, 90 percent by 2020 and 100 percent by 2025. District officials say they are banking on "interventions" with at-risk students to help them catch up over the summer and make up credits they need to earn a diploma. Those efforts apparently paid off at least partly last year when an additional nine Central Medford students graduated. Medford and other local districts have their work cut out for them if they are to increase graduation rates, and much of that work will need to focus on the alternative high schools and the students there who need all the help they can get to leave high school with a diploma. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 30, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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