Lawmaker wants to delay HS exit exams
About one-fifth of seniors in Anchorage have not passed test
ANCHORAGE - State Sen. Gretchen Guess, an Anchorage Democrat, said she plans to sponsor legislation to eliminate the requirement for students to pass the state's high school exam in order to get a diploma. Students still would have to take the test, with the results still part of their record, but they could graduate without passing it.
The High School Graduation Qualifying Exam is a three-part test of proficiency in reading, writing and math. A state law effective this February requires all Alaska public school students to pass the test to earn a diploma.
"We know the kids who passed the test meet the standards," Guess said. "But do we know the kids who don't pass the test don't meet the standards? We need to have another discussion on it before it goes into effect in May."
Nineteen states had exit exams in 2003, with five others, including Alaska, phasing in tests by 2008. In the past year, many of these states have amended, postponed or changed their exit exams because of mounting public opposition to denying students diplomas because of a single test.
Last July, for example, the California state school board postponed the graduation component of its test from 2004 to 2006, facing reports that one-fifth of the class of 2004 would fail.
Alaska law originally said the test would apply to all students graduating in 2002 or later. But in 2002, the Legislature delayed the exam's effective date to 2004 and made it an easier test.
About one-fifth of high school seniors in Anchorage have not passed the exit exam required to graduate next year.
Results released Thursday show 639 of the district's 3,255 seniors have not passed the exam.
District officials don't yet know how many students will be affected by the new requirement. Officials say 334 students won't graduate because they haven't earned the required 22.5 academic credits. Another couple hundred who have enough credits but haven't passed the exit exam could graduate in January, before the law takes effect.
Parent Jackie McKnight would love to see another delay or have the test tossed out altogether. Her daughter, Kathleen, a Chugiak High School senior, has a learning disability that makes it hard for her to work with numbers.
Kathleen passed the writing and reading portions of the exit exam on her first try, McKnight said. But she has repeatedly failed the math section. This fall, she fell short by just 22 points.