Graduation requirements raised

State education officials are making it harder for students to graduate into and out of high school.

Nevada State Board of Education members set the passing scores for the Nevada Proficiency Examination at 61 for math and 70 for reading last week.

Students, who can take the test up to five times in their junior and senior years, must pass the test to graduate.

The new passing scores are higher. The test also is harder -- roughly 15,000 high school juniors took it for the first time in April.

According to the new scores, about 21 percent of students failed the reading section and about 33 percent failed the math. On the old test, about 16 percent failed the reading section and 16 percent failed the math.

"I know I didn't pass the English part of it," said one Western High School student who declined to give his name. "I'm afraid to find out about the rest."

State Board members said they expected more out of students, teachers and money-appropriating lawmakers. They vowed to raise the passing score even higher in the next two years.

Board member Bill Hanlon was among several members who said 61 and 70 percent are not high enough.

"I don't think a proficiency score of 61 percent is something most people think is proficient," Hanlon said. "I've never heard proficiency described as a D-minus."

Board members said they would now watch to see whether high schools could meet the new requirements.

"Raising the bar is easy to do," board member Gary Waters said. "Getting everyone over it is a whole different thing."

Several Clark County school administrators said Monday they prepare students to pass the test before the end of their senior year.

"We in the high schools have our work cut out for us," Western assistant principal Pamela Salazar said. "If we need to add remedial classes to help them pass, we'll do that."

Students interviewed Monday generally said they expected most students would be able to pass the test, at least by the end of their senior year.

"I think (61 and 70 percent) could definitely be higher," Western junior Brock Mitchell said.

Rancho High School junior Bonnie Dunn said, "I thought the test was very easy, so I'm not worried. It was basic math and algebra. It was basic reading."

Board members also discussed establishing a new regulation that middle school students must pass a year and a half of middle school math and language arts to go on to high school.

As it stands, middle school students who fail many of their classes often pass on to high school anyway.

The new regulation could be approved after another public hearing, likely to be scheduled in Carson City on July 17.

"The marginal students who are not doing the work could be if they were being held accountable," Hanlon said.

Students agreed.

"All kids are capable of doing the work, but if they have an excuse to not do the work, they'll take advantage of it," Frank Garside Middle School eighth- grader Melissa Ortiz said.

Garside is one of several middle schools this year that started a new pilot program that targets students at risk of failing.

Last year, about 180 of 450 Garside seventh graders were failing at least three of their core subjects, including math, reading, science and social studies.

A new program that groups about 60 of the students in special classes seems to be helping, principal Sandra Metcalf said. She also said that telling the students they might be held back has scared many of them into improving.

Only about 11 students are still failing three or more courses, Metcalf said.

"I would hope that kids are realizing this is not fun and games," Metcalf said. "Their future depends on what they do in school."

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