Columnist Dean Juipe: Extra test a needless requirement

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4084.

It's strange the test even exists.

It's called the Nevada High School Proficiency Examination and every outgoing high-school senior in the state has to pass it in order to receive a diploma.

This year, that test was made more difficult -- and perhaps unfairly so, given that some of the items on the test can come from areas the student was never formally required to study.

Tuesday in Clark County, some 1,835 seniors took a crack at the test for a third time. Because they had failed (or missed) the previous two offerings, they had this chance and, supposedly, will get another shot at it in June if need be.

There are approximately 10,000 high-school seniors in the school district, so most of them passed the Proficiency Examination with a minimum of grief. The class valedictorians at Eldorado and Silverado highs, Lisa McLain and Nick Appuglise, respectively, both said Tuesday at the Fiesta Casino/Hotel Scholarship Awards luncheon that the test was ridiculous easy.

"I think it's perfectly fair," Appuglise said. "It's just the basics."

McLain added that "It's a shame because some of the kids expect to magically pass it, but there's a lot of help available to those who want or need the extra assistance."

Nonetheless, it has been reported that the State Board of Education is having second thoughts about this particular exam -- and the fact next year's will be even tougher. Yet, right now, it's offering little beyond token sympathy for those who may have attended class for four years and passed all their classes, only to be denied a diploma.

Among those who are sweating out the exam results for a third time are, undoubtedly, a number of athletes who not only need that degree to continue their education but need it to qualify for a college scholarship.

Case in point: a top Las Vegas high-school basketball player, who has a scholarship waiting for him at a major university. While he also has a problem with some unexcused absences as a result of attending out-of-state basketball camps, there's an appeals process in place and it appears as if he has a chance to clear that hurdle.

But without a passing grade in the proficiency exam, the player in question -- and who knows how many others -- will be denied a diploma despite a satisfactory Grade Point Average.

"This test is having a huge impact (on the athlete in question), and probably many others," said Clark County School District athletic director Larry McKay. "In order to get into any college, you need a high-school diploma. The very first sentence of the NCAA (eligibility) manual says you have to have a high-school diploma, so it can't get more obvious than that."

The college coach that has signed this particular player has called McKay and asked about possible alternatives in the event the player can't pass the proficiency exam. But, by the looks of things, there really are none, as a General Education Diploma will not suffice.

"He's very concerned," McKay said of the coach and, presumably, the player. A young man who could better himself in a university setting and, in theory, develop into a professional player, runs the risk of being cast back into the pond.

The Board of Education should be concerned as well. However good its intentions, it's possible it is making a mistake with this exam.

Four years of high school should be enough to determine who deserves a degree.

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