Those black or white streaks, spots, and comets zipping across the screen. We count as dropouts any loss of playback signal that is 20 decibels or more below the nominal playback level (16 decibels for extra high-grade and 8mm tapes) and lasting for 15 microseconds or longer (about one quarter of one horizontal scan on the TV screen).
Calculated two ways: (1) Number of students who were enrolled in the 8th grade but were not enrolled in the 12th grade 4 years later. Enrollment is based on average daily attendance for the school year; (2) 8th to graduation. The 1st calculation provides breakout of race and gender data; second is available only for all students.
Students in grades 7-12 who leave school before graduation and do not transfer to another school are considered dropouts. Dropout information is reported for any school with a grade 7 or higher.
Number of students who left each school district during the 1999-2000 school year prior to meeting graduation requirements and whose transcript was not requested by another educational institution.
The number of secondary students that left school before the end of the school year without transferring to another school or institution at each grade level.
Dropouts are the loss of signals during playback caused by a lack of recorded signals or a momentary tape-to-head separation. When there are dropouts on a video tape, there will be white or black streaks along the scanning lines on the picture screen. Dropouts are caused by scratches on a tape, partial lack of the magnetic layer, or even by adhesion of minute dust particles to the tape surface. Since the performance of even the best video tapes is easily affected by dirt and dust, video tapes must be kept in a dust-free place.
Pupils/students who leave school during the year for any reason as well as those who complete the previous grade/year level but fail to enroll in the next grade/year level the following school year.(Reference: 2006 Inter-Agency Committee on Education Statistics (IACES))