Editorial

The freshman year of high school is pivotal for students. Those who sail through — or even eke through — are very likely to graduate.

More than a decade ago, the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research created an "on-track" calculation to help Chicago Public Schools officials pinpoint which high school freshmen were likely to graduate. Result: a CPS early warning system that red-flagged students before they fell so far behind that they eventually dropped out. Schools targeted those at-risk students for tutoring and other help to move them back on track. That is, to be sure they're making genuine academic progress...