Julie Connor, works with freshman Da-Von Middletown during biology class at Tolman High School in Pawtucket. Tolman increased its graduation rate by 12 percentage points in 2008. The Providence Journal Kathy Borchers

Despite new, tougher diploma requirements, Rhode Island’s high school graduation rate improved slightly over the previous year, with 74 percent of the Class of 2008 finishing within four years, up from about 70 percent for the Class of 2007.

Still, more than 2,000 students were lost along the way and dropped out.

State education officials link the improvement to an intensified effort by teachers to help their students clear a new hurdle –– individual portfolios and senior projects that prove that students have mastered key skills and subjects. These projects are designed to stretch students, pushing them to explore their interests and ambitions, and result in public presentations.

Officials said they no longer want students to graduate who cannot read, write or compute at a high school level. The requirements, which went into effect with the Class of 2008, have been designed to ensure a Rhode Island diploma is meaningful and to prove a graduate is ready for college and work.

“If you asked us three years ago, we would have said we expected there to be a drop [in the graduation rate],” said Roy Seitsinger, who oversees secondary school reform at the state Education Department. “To be blunt, high school principals were not going to allow students to not graduate. I think they paid even more attention to graduating seniors, because of the new regulations.”

The graduation rates were released yesterday by Governor Carcieri and state education officials at Times{+2} Academy, a Providence charter school.

TOLMAN HIGH SCHOOL in Pawtucket made the biggest leap in the state.

The school increased its graduation rate by 12 percentage points, up to 58 percent. In addition, about 18 students, or 8.5 percent of the senior class, agreed to stay in school for an additional year to master enough reading, writing and math to earn a diploma. (Several other urban schools also saw their graduation rate increase and kept a significant portion of seniors for a fifth year.)

Starting in 2004, Pawtucket high schools embraced changes required by the more rigorous state regulations, says JoAnn LaBranche, who had a hand in both the state’s and Pawtucket’s reform efforts.

“The idea wasn’t just to make high school harder, but to restructure our high schools to be better places for students to learn,” LaBranche said. “Before, there were no reading teachers in our high schools. Now we have substantial numbers of students in reading programs. We make sure there is an adult in every child’s life who knows that child well. We make sure teachers talk and work together. Walk into a high school today in Rhode Island and it feels different. Teachers know students better and vice versa.”

The Class of 2008 was the first class to benefit from four years of these changes, LaBranche said.

Tolman’s principal, Frederick Silva agrees, crediting the move to small, daily “advisory” meetings that allow a teacher to get to know a group of students well.

“With the advisory system, we were able to stay on top of the kids and make sure they were doing portfolio-level work,” Silva said. “Going into it, we were fearful we would have kids not graduate because of the portfolio, so we really pushed it. Our newest fear is that the kids aren’t as scared this year so they won’t get it done, but right now, everything seems to be okay.”

NEVERTHELESS, PAWTUCKET, like other urban districts, still has a long way to go.

Statewide, troubling gaps remain between urban and suburban schools.

Just 61 percent of students in Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket graduated in four years, compared with 84 percent of suburban students. Urban ring communities, defined as Cranston, East Providence, Johnston, Newport, North Providence, Warwick and West Warwick, fell in the middle, with 78 percent of students graduating.

Some urban schools continue to report graduation rates hovering around 50 percent.

In some cases, such as Central Falls High School, that grim statistic is brightened somewhat by more than 15 percent of seniors agreeing to stay on another year. While such fifth-year students do not boost Central Fall’s graduation rate, education officials say schools that keep students who need more time to become proficient deserve praise.

“The Board of Regents has always believed that it’s important to prepare students for graduation so they can succeed in college and the world of work,” said Elliot Krieger, spokesman for the Education Department. “So the view of the board is that it’s fine for a student take five years if needed, and we are glad schools are not just pushing kids through. Those schools are to be commended.”

9,731 graduated on time, in 2008

963 students stayed in school

another year

423 received the equivalent of a diploma outside of high school (GED)

2,046 dropped out

jjordan@projo.com