In Alaska, one high school struggles with the consequences of an exit exam:
Fourteen [out of 347] Juneau-Douglas High School seniors who haven't passed the state exit exam will receive certificates of achievement rather than diplomas on graduation day, Juneau School District officials estimate...The Class of 2004 is the first to have to pass the Alaska High School Graduation Qualifying Examination as one of the requirements for a diploma. Students also must earn a certain number of credits by passing courses in various subjects.
The number of seniors who wouldn't earn diplomas this year would have been higher. But the state has exempted special-ed students from the requirement as the state looks for a way to settle a class-action lawsuit.
So that's only 4% of seniors who are not special-ed who flunked the exit exam while fulfilling other graduation requirements. That's not a huge number, but there's plenty of fretting about them nonetheless:
Students who haven't passed the exit exam - which consists of separate tests in reading, writing and math - can retake the portions they failed. There's no limit on the number of retakes. But the test is offered only twice a year, in early October and early April, and it takes several months to get the results.
The state Department of Education may ask the test contractor, Data Recognition Corp. of Maple Grove, Minn., to devise an online version that could be offered more frequently in regional test centers, said Les Morse, the agency's assessment director.
Employers and institutions such as the military and colleges vary in their stance toward people who hold only a certificate of achievement. Without a diploma, students aren't eligible for apprentice programs in the trades, said Jim Williams of North Pacific Erectors.
Again, this is 4% of the non-special-education seniors. That means 96% got through just fine.
Not having a high school diploma might affect the admission of marginal students, said Eastern Washington Director of Admissions Michelle Whittingham.
"Clearly, we want every student to have a high school diploma. We want every student to do their best and take (exit exams) very seriously," she said...
Juneau School District administrators have talked about offering programs to exiting seniors who didn't pass the test, said Superintendent Peggy Cowan. But officials haven't firmed up anything yet.
"We are looking at creating some different types of courses or study sessions," JDHS Principal Deb Morse said.
Emphasis mine. One way to have students take the exit exams seriously is to withhold their diplomas if they fail it. Offering special programs to help those who fail is fine - and the school should certainly look hard at why students who fulfill other requirements fail the exam - but at some point, the school has to send the message that it's up to the student to work as hard as possible to learn the material to pass this exam. And the school should unapologetically withhold diplomas from those who don't pass the test.
Posted by kswygert at May 12, 2004 10:53 AM