1,500 seniors fail skills test
Diplomas at stake as teens gear up for last chance to pass exam
School districts including Alpine, Jordan, Granite, Salt Lake and Tooele notified students right before or during the holiday break that they would have to take the test yet again. Davis School District sent letters to students this past week.
It's not that school bosses liked the idea of a holiday bah-humbug. They say they just happened to receive October results of Utah Basic Skills Competency Test right before the winter break.
And considering students have to turn around and take the test one last time Jan. 31, many felt they needed every second possible to brush up.
"I just think of those kids that are hanging on," said Tim McConnell, who oversees assessment in Park City School District. "With a two-month (test results) turn-around, we are going to have kids finding out in April that they won't get regular high school diplomas."
The Utah Basic Skills Competency Test, which measures math, reading and writing skills, is required of every Utah student from the Class of 2006 on. Those who pass it can receive a full high school diploma. Those who try it three times can get a different sort of diploma — state education and legislative officials are still trying to pick out names for them — but a diploma nonetheless. Those who do neither could be in line for a certificate of completion.
Salt Lake City School District officials note both diplomas are considered valid. And in that sense, 88 percent of its seniors are on track for high school graduation, the district reports. That number could be as high as 92 percent, controlling for students excused by their school due to severe disabilities or those coming from states where they may have passed a comparable exam.
Still, between 23 percent and 27 percent of seniors still have to pass the basic skills test in that district. That's between 336 and 394 students.
"With each administration, students have persisted, and a higher number have earned the regular diploma," associate superintendent Charles Hausman said. "I'm proud of them for doing that."
In schools like West High officials have made getting students into remediation programs a mission. They offer UBSCT remediation classes both in school and after school. Plus school officials send home letters, make phone calls and even visit students' homes to get the word out on what help is available.
Salt Lake City District is among few that sorted out and analyzed data during vacation time. Alpine District, by contrast, reports a public release of the data is a ways off. The State Office of Education plans to report statewide outcomes of the October test sometime next week, spokesman Mark Peterson reports.
Some districts have numbers to share.
In Davis County, 493 seniors, or 11.6 percent of the class of 2006, have not yet passed the test, assessment director Chris Wahlquist reports. Of them, 222, or 5.2 percent of the class, also have not yet taken it at least three times — the minimum state requirement for any diploma.
Jordan District reports at 562 seniors still haven't passed the math exam, which has the biggest failure rate statewide, evaluation director Clyde Mason reports. That number includes 83 students, mainly those with severe disabilities, who have not taken it at all.
Students have to pass every section to receive the full diploma.
In Murray, 8 percent of seniors still haven't passed the math section, reports Steve Hirase, assistant superintendent over curriculum.
In Tooele, an estimated 109, or 18 percent of seniors, still need to pass one or more test sections, secondary education director Terry Linares reports.
The same goes for 18 seniors — 14 of whom have limited English proficiency or are in special education — in Park City, McConnell says.
And in Provo, 102 seniors still haven't passed math, said testing director Morgan Anderson.
But the news wasn't bad for all students.
A Salt Lake County mother reports her daughter passed the exam on the fourth try — thanks to extra help never before offered at the neighborhood school.
"It was the best Christmas present ever," she said.
Ten school districts — Salt Lake, Jordan, Logan, Provo, Murray, Box Elder, Sevier, San Juan, Weber and South Sanpete — are sharing a $100,000 state grant to determine which test-help approaches work best.
Murray School District wants to start addressing testing issues in the junior highs to "make sure students have every opportunity to be able to understand what's going to be on the test and learn those standards," Hirase said. The district also plans a meeting for sophomores' parents "to make a greater effort in explaining . . . how critical it is for their students to take this test seriously."
As for seniors, Murray is offering test help during the day and in a crash course. Jordan District requires language arts and math help during the day for students failing the exam.
Granite has given computer passwords for math help to 365 seniors who have failed that test four times in a row, said Darryl Thomas, director of research, assessment and evaluation.
Sevier District, the only one with data reported so far under the grant, has 69.6 percent pass rates in reading, 85.4 percent in writing, and 75.8 percent in math among students getting extra help offered there, reported Hirase, who is in charge of gathering the information.
But some are concerned. Hirase says only 30 students, including juniors and seniors, are taking advantage of skills test math help Murray offers.
Others fear seniors won't have enough time to learn the skills they lack in time to take the tests again Jan. 31-Feb. 2.
"We've just got those three weeks, and that's very troubling," said Chris Wahlquist, Davis director of research and assessment. "For all these seniors, we could have taken them into remediation before, but I am not sure how much they would have wanted to participate not knowing their results."
The Salt Lake County mother laments the lack of help available to her daughter until this year. Her family had been paying for private tutoring.
"I think if they want to have a test, they need to prepare the kids way before (their senior year)," the mother said.
"She has been depressed this whole fall, and it's her senior year. I've just kind of seen her attitude has gone down, her grades have gone down, and it just makes the kids feel like a failure and that they're left behind. I don't think it's a good thing."
E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com; terickson@desnews.com
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