More seniors passing final skills test

By Emily Richmond

Friday, May 13, 2005 | 10:53 a.m.

With a month left until graduation, an estimated 12.5 percent of Clark County's seniors still need to pass the state's math proficiency exam, down sharply from 21.9 percent at this time last year.

Sue Daellenbach, testing director for the district, said early results from the April sitting of the proficiency exam show approximately 1,700 seniors still need to pass math. Prior to the April exam, 18.3 percent of the district's 13,700 seniors lacked passing scores on the math portion of the exam.

There are also about 500 seniors who need to pass the reading portion of the exam, Daellenbach said. Some of those students also need to pass math, she said.

Daellenbach said her office is verifying the electronic files received from Measured Progress, a New Hampshire-based company contracted to develop and score the statewide exam. Schools were given the results Wednesday in order to notify individual students as quickly as possible, Daellenbach said.

"What we're seeing so far is very, very good," Daellenbach said.

It wasn't all smooth sailing. There are 150 tests answer sheets missing from Western High School, but school officials said that shouldn't the district's percentages. Those students will have a chance to retake the test if the answer sheets aren't found.

A seniors-only round of the math, reading and writing portions of the exam will be held next week.

Seniors who have completed their required courses but do not have passing scores on all three sections of the exam are given "Certificates of Attendance" at graduation ceremonies rather than diplomas. If they do not pass, they may try again in July and exchange the certificates for a diploma from their high school. Students who pass the exam at a later date receive diplomas from the district's adult education program.

A group of Las Vegas High School seniors have protested the five-week turnaround time for proficiency test results, saying the delay is discouraging to students already under significant pressure and leads to a higher overall failure rate.

Stuart Kahl, president of Measured Progress, said special equipment and additional staff will be brought to Nevada next week to score the seniors-only sitting of the exam, allowing the company to report results within 72 hours.

Students were urged to assume they had not passed the exam in April and continue studying for the May sitting, Daellenbach said.

"We'd love to say everyone passed by then but it's not likely," Daellenbach said. "Kids should also realize if they have the credits, they can still walk the stage (at commencement). They can always trade up the certificate later on."

Clark County Schools Superintendent Carlos Garcia who departs in July to become vice president of urban markets for textbook giant McGraw-Hill Cos., called the early returns "fabulous news."

A district-wide campaign to increase enrollment in upper-level math classes is an essential component of the improved pass rate, Garcia said.

"It's taken time for all of this to kick in but now that it has, it feels really good," Garcia said. "Since I'm leaving it's bittersweet but I'm glad I got to see some of it. We're headed in the right direction."

The district has increased the percentage of students who take algebra by the eighth grade from 20 percent to over 70 percent in three years, Garcia said. And a corresponding jump in enrollment in geometry has also occurred. And last year the district added algebra to the list of required courses. Geometry should be next, Garcia said.

Of the questions on the math portion of the proficiency exam, typically 20 percent involves algebra while geometry makes up a third.