Comments (105) | Add a comment
Bill gives borderline pupils bid at diploma
-
Jerry Henkel/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Spencer Hill-Hale, 18, and Kelly Camargo, 17, both seniors at Liberty High School in Henderson, this month passed the state proficiency exams they needed to earn diplomas. » Buy this photo
Tools
Updated: May 26, 2011 | 6:28 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Liberty High School senior Spencer Hill-Hale dreams of playing college football this fall, but he needed to make the equivalent of a Hail Mary pass to graduate in June.
He had failed four earlier attempts at the writing proficiency test since he began taking it as a sophomore. Nevada law currently requires seniors to pass four high-stakes exams to earn a diploma: math, science, reading and writing.
"I was pretty stressed out about it," said Hill-Hale, who plans to attend Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, Calif.
"This was the only thing holding me back."
Hill-Hale created his own miracle in May when he finally made the grade on the writing exam with an essay about why he doesn't think professional athletes are overpaid.
Other Nevada seniors in similar straits may find relief in proposed legislation now before Gov. Brian Sandoval. Assembly Bill 456, approved Wednesday by the state Senate, would allow certain high school students to receive diplomas even if they fail a portion of the high school proficiency exam.
"This is not about watering down the test," said state Sen. Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, chairman of the Senate Education Committee.
It's about helping the borderline cases, the students who are just missing the mark on the tests and who would otherwise graduate, Denis explained.
The Senate, with no discussion, voted 13-8 in favor of AB456. State Sens. Dean Rhoads, R-Tuscarora, and Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, joined all 11 Democrats voting for the bill. The bill has already passed in the Assembly.
It wasn't known if Sandoval plans to sign the bill or veto it.
WHO WILL BE AFFECTED?
If the bill is signed into law, high school seniors unable to pass one of the state's four proficiency exams would be allowed to receive a diploma based on an overall cumulative score, which has yet to be established. Other requirements include having a grade point average of 2.75 or better, a good attendance record and no ongoing disciplinary issues.
Because the bill restricts student eligibility, Nevada Superintendent of Schools Keith Rheault estimated it might help only 200 to 300 seniors, or less than 1 percent of all seniors statewide.
It would be a big deal to those affected, but not to the state as a whole, Rheault said.
Sue Daellenbach, the Clark County School District's assistant superintendent for assessment and accountability, said the bill might help between 60 to 200 local students. It's not a significant number considering the district has 20,044 seniors this year.
Education officials are having difficulty assessing what the impact of the bill would be because details, such as setting a passing cumulative score for the proficiency exams, still have to be worked out. The exams now are graded separately and there is no cumulative score. The writing test also is graded on a different scale than the one used for reading, science and math.
Rheault said if the bill is signed into law, he will consult with states that have similar laws on the books. He noted that college entrance exams also are based on cumulative scores.
Liberty Principal Jeff Geihs said many states don't even require exit exams. While the principal of the Henderson campus supports the proficiency exams and believes in standards, he said it is unfair to compare Nevada to other states because it is like "comparing apples to oranges."
HOW AB456 CAME TO PASS
During testimony on AB456, a story was told of a high school senior with a college scholarship who was in danger of not graduating because she couldn't pass the math proficiency exam, Denis said. The girl moved in with her grandparents in St. George, Utah, where there are no exit exam requirements.
Because she already had enough credits, "she did not have to go to school one day and she got a diploma," Denis said.
Nevada routinely ranks at the bottom in various national studies for graduation rates. Last year, Education Week estimated the state's graduation rate at 42 percent, based on data from the class of 2007. The finding was criticized by local education officials, who said the calculation did not adjust for Nevada's high student turnover or distinguish between dropouts and students who leave one school to attend another.
For the past two years, Clark County has calculated its graduation rate at about 68 percent. Daellenbach thinks this year's graduation rate will be about the same.
Clark County seniors have shown improvement on the proficiency exams. For example, the number of seniors who failed the May math exam declined by 344 students from a year ago, from 2,065 to 1,721.
Technically, seniors have until October to pass the tests and be considered part of the class of 2011, Daellenbach said. Students who have not passed their exams before June can walk at graduation but will only get a certificate of attendance.
Seniors might fail to get diplomas for other reasons, too. Last year, about 500 seniors who had passed all their proficiency exams didn't earn diplomas because they lacked the necessary credits.
As part of its legislative agenda this year, the Clark County School District has pushed for reforms to improve the graduation rate, such as making it difficult for dropouts to get driver's licenses or jobs.
Rheault said the bill to ease graduation requirements is the only proposed reform that's survived the legislative process.
While the bill has encountered opposition from Republicans as a lowering of standards, Hill-Hale and other students think the legislation is a good idea.
"So many people I know have missed (passing) by one point," said Kelly Camargo, a Liberty senior who passed her writing, math and science proficiency exams earlier this month.
Geihs has seen seniors break down and cry after learning they won't receive a diploma.
"It's absolutely devastating," Geihs said. "Students have needed counseling."
To prepare students for the high-stakes exams, the Henderson campus offers weekend writing and math boot camps and drill sessions during the regular school day.
"Drill and practice," Geihs said. "That's what they'll do all day."
Worrying about graduation can take the fun out of the high school experience, students acknowledged.
"When you finally pass, you're like, 'I wish I could have done it sooner so I could enjoy my senior year and not be stressed all the time,' " Camargo said.
Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal .com or 702-374-7917.
Comments
Terms & Conditions
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The Review-Journal does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please use the Report Abuse button.
Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 24 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Why create Loopholes for those few who fail to meet the standards that others of larger numbers have "Busted their Books" and spent "Mucho Time" Focusing on the real issues of Education. This is a Pet Bill by a Pet Politician who has only one goal-buy votes any way he can to be Re-elected, not make Nevada a Leader for others to follow as he slices and dices the Educational System to a "Cracker Jack System" of Education, with little room to become a competitor in the National Competition of Higher Education, in fact i thought their was already a loophole call GED for those who fall short of "Toeing the Mark" in High School. Get Real Govenor, You are the biggest Kisser of Posteriors in the Politicial Circus than George w. Bush, I for one will vote you out in your next election bid!
I'm so sick and tired of this I could scream. Dumb 'em down, educators! Why have an intelligent society that can use their own brains? They'll just figure out how bad they're being fleeced, and used at some future point in time, so keep 'em dumb.
Lowering the standards to raise graduation rate! Gotta love it. No need to work as hard anymore--just wait for the bar to be lowered. Sounds like Special Olympics where everyone gets a ribbon. That's great for the mentally impaired but for people who will be out in real life one of these days they will find that it ain't like that in the big ol' bad world...
If one's child has had difficulties in Math throughout their Elementary School years, then chances are, that they will have more difficulties with High School Math.
If you are going to bring children into this world, then it is your JOB to make sure they are successful in school. Budget your income accordingly so that you can hire a Math tutor. Make sacrifices and "do without" so you can pay someone to teach Math to your child in a "one-on-one" situation. I believe extra time and attention given to these students will help them to understand and pass the High School Math portion of the test! Teachers no longer have the energy or time to do this for your child. And, do not expect to receive this help for "free" from some overworked, underpaid educator, who has to suffer and worry about keeping their job and paying their own bills, especially after staying up until after midnight each evening to grade papers and plan lessons! A good Math tutor will show how to do each and every step in a math problem, whether it is algebra, geometry, or finding the square root of a number, etc. It will take a lot of time, and an understanding tutor, to slow down the steps involved in order for that student to fully understand what they must do, before ever advancing to the next step in solving the Math problem. It can be done---but parents, please don't wait until graduation time, to find out your child will not receive a Diploma! Parents need to start this process years before graduation! A parent needs to figure out the areas of concern when looking at their child's report cards each year!
AB456 would be such a blessing to so many kids, I just hope that they will give this opportunity to the ones who "just missed out" from previous years as well. My child meets all of the requirements listed above, he has over a 2.75 GPA and had no attendance or performance issues. My child passed the reading and writing exam on the 1st try, however he could not pass the math portion. He walked with his class but recieved no diploma. The science portion was not required when he graduated, however in order to get a diploma now he has to also pass the science exam in addition to math. Sadly this information was enough to discourage him from pursuing this option any further. My child was provided with a tutor for several years and also attended Sylvan when difficulties with math was identified very ealry on. A tutor was also hired between math proficiancy testing, and I don't know the reason why he struggled with math. I spoke to every math teacher along the way hoping that someone would take him under their wing and make math "click" (I'm not blaming teachers). I wish that I had taken my son out of State like the girl mentioned in this story did, being considered a high school drop-out can send kids in the wrong direction since it shatters their self confidence. This story mentioned kids crying when they were told they weren't graduating, rumor has it that at least one child in my sons class killed himself when he heard the news. There is a difference between someone who chooses to drop out of school and someone who fails, please don't be too judgemental since there can be many reasons for this. I can't believe that the Clark County School District thinks that making it more difficult for "drop-outs" to get a drivers license or a job would help in some way, come on! With all of the money that these exams cost I can't believe that this idea hasn't come up sooner. Give our kids a break, please!
Erica13: Hate to break it to you, but you didn't hurt my feelings. My question for you is how hard did you and your team fight your principal to keep those students back?
1- the test has changed since most of you took it 2- the students have 4 years (720 hours) of math instruction and 5 chances to pass the test 3- 50% F policy and social promotion created students that can't pass test 4- due to reasons 1 through 3 cut teacher pay because they are to blame
To Frank: You asked why I passed the students, and said I was part of the problem. Our team last year had about 15 students who failed ALL their classes and ADMINISTRATION passed them. I don't make that decision. Most teachers are not for social promotion. We get sick of students getting passed to the next grade level we know cannot read and cannot do basic math, but LIBERALS (yes Shannon K., I know that hurts YOUR feelings) feel it hurts their self esteem to not be with their friends. That is why I voted for Sandoval because he wanted to end this social promotion crap. This is just another example of how sports are more valuable to our society than education. How is this football player going to be able to write papers in college? Oh yeah he'll be the next Peyton Manning, (like all of them that play college ball) and he won't have to worry about it.
1- the test has changed since most of you took it 2- the students have 4 years (720 hours) of math instruction and 5 chances to pass the test 3- 50% F policy and social promotion created students that can't pass test 4- due to reasons 1 through 3 cut teacher pay because they are to blame
Maybe school districts should only buy the little school buses so everyone will feel equal.