The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Utah's sophomore's are struggling with the math component of the exit exam:
Two out of five Utah sophomores will have to retake and pass at least one section of the state's three-pronged high school exit exam to collect their basic diploma two years from now. In almost all of Utah's 40 school districts, students struggled most with the math test, according to statewide results released Monday...
The class of 2006 is the first required to pass all three sections of the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test (UBSCT) to earn a basic diploma. The Legislature mandated the exam in 1999. Three out of five sophomores passed all three sections, while 16 percent passed two sections, 9 percent one section, and 14 percent failed all three sections.
All the failing students have four more opportunities to pass. The results for all 40 districts can be found online. Summer classes and special remediation are in the works. And officials are saying that students just aren't motivated enough:
"There were still some students who looked at the UBSCT testing as something that probably was not going to count, so when they see they're going to be taking it again, hopefully they'll see it's a little more serious," said Garett Muse, principal of Cottonwood High School...
"Anecdotally, what we hear from other states is that there's lots of senior-year repentance, but that's so scary, to wait until your senior year to get serious about the test," said Louise Moulding, the state Office of Education's director of evaluation and assessment.
Posted by kswygert at May 25, 2004 10:29 AM