EDITORIAL: Pass, or Else: A Senior Should Score Well Enough on a 10th-Grade Test

By The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Jun. 6–For 127 Akron students, the end of high school hasn’t turned out as planned. They have not passed all five sections of the Ohio Graduation Test. Until they pass this test (or satisfy requirements for an alternative path), they will not receive a high school diploma. About 9,000 students statewide are in the same predicament.

In Akron, students who fail even one of the sections cannot join the graduation ceremonies. The disappointment and embarrassment are understandable. More important are the steps they and their school districts take to prepare them to get a passing mark and the diploma essential to success beyond.

In a knowledge-based society, the students who master the core subjects are in the best position to achieve in the workplace. There’s no mystery to it. To prepare students, Ohio has strengthened the public school curriculum and raised the standards for high school graduation. Beginning with the Class of 2007, students must pass state tests in math, science, social studies, reading and writing at the 10th-grade level to earn a high school diploma. They get at least six opportunities between their sophomore and senior years to pass the tests.

For a state striving to increase the percentage of college-bound students, a 10th-grade standard for graduation does not seem especially rigorous. Still, a 10th-grade test is an improvement on the ninth-grade level of competence that was the previous standard.

Gov. Ted Strickland has expressed his reservations about the use of a single, high-stakes test. He has promised to take “a serious look” at Ohio’s testing program to improve the system. Meanwhile, students can take advantage of summer sessions, tutoring and intervention programs to get a better grasp of the tests and the subjects they have trouble passing.

—–

To see more of the Akron Beacon Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ohio.com.

Copyright (c) 2007, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.