ECHS grad survey offers insight into post-high school days
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

El Campo ISD trustees got a good look at what happens to El Campo High students once they take off their caps and gowns and get out into the real world.

The district contracted with Life Track Services Inc. in Washington state to conduct surveys of graduating classes, starting with the Class of 2006. Results of that survey were presented to the school board during its Oct. 16 regular monthly meeting by ECISD Superintendent Mark Pool.

Out of the 223 graduates in 2006, 90 responses were received of the 218 class members for which the company could find current addresses. Sixty-one of the surveys were filled out by the graduate, while parents filled in the other 29 surveys.

The survey tracked graduates' satisfaction with their ECISD survey, and asked what the student was now doing with their days. When asked if they thought they were offered a quality education at El Campo High Schools, 75 of the 90 students said yes, while 10 said no. Seventy-seven students said their teachers held high standards and demanded quality work, while six disagreed with that statement.

Fifty students said they would have benefited from more public speaking or oral communications classes, while 32 didn't agree. ECHS academic standards were high enough for 73 students, but not for 12, and 71 students found extra-curricular activities were important, while 15 did not.

Students were asked to "grade" their subjects and answer other questions on a scale of A to F, and students overwhelmingly gave passing (A-C) grades for their math, English, science, history and technology education. Eight students gave failing grades (D or F) when asked if school prepared them to enter the workforce, while 70 gave passing grades. Six students didn't feel ECHS prepared them to continue their education, while 79 gave either an A, B or C grade.

Sixty students gave the school top marks for providing a safe learning environment, of a total of 82 passing grades for that question, while only three students disagreed. When asked if the school provided a drug-free environment, 44 students answered A, 20 answered B,11gavea Cscoreand9 grade the school with an F.

It was interesting to note that of the seven students that gave Ds and Fs, two were in the top 25 percent of their class, three were in the third quartile and one was in the bottom quartile.

"A general conclusion might be that the more successful the students were academically, the better they felt about the education they received," Pool said in the report.

The study also covered what the students have done with their lives since they graduated. Sixty-one of the 90 respondents, or two-thirds, were pursuing some sort of further education. Twelve are working, either part- or full-time; two are in the military; 11 are unemployed and not attending school and four didn't say.

Three of the students are in vocational or technical schools, while 36 are attending a twoyear college, 26 of which attend Wharton County Junior College.

Twenty-two students are attending a four-year university, with 10 of those attending Texas A&M University and six attending the University of Texas.

Graduates' areas of study were incredibly wide-ranging, with majors ranging from business to atmosphere science to art design to meteorology.

Students who are working are in low-level jobs including food service, retail sales and a variety of unskilled labor positions.

Pool told trustees the information is valuable for a number of reasons, including helping the district spot weaknesses and determine areas upon which to focus. Life Track will survey future classes at graduation, 18 months later, and five years down the road, starting with this year's graduates. The class of 2006 will be surveyed again at the five-year mark as well, he said.