Plan would alter diploma rules for high school seniors

CARSON CITY -- Over the protests of Republicans, the Senate Education Committee approved a bill Friday to allow high school seniors to secure full-fledged diplomas even if they fall a couple of points short of the standards on one section of the proficiency exam.

Under Assembly Bill 456, students who earn at least a 2.75 GPA and have had no discipline or attendance problems could receive standard diplomas if their overall score on the four-part proficiency exam was above the passing score, even though their scores fall short in one part of the test.

Students still would be required to try at least six times to earn passing scores on all sections of the test.

About 60 percent of students fail the math test the first time they take it. Joyce Haldeman, associate superintendent of the Clark County School District, said the bill would help about 100 students a year who invariably fail the math portion of the test, even though they pass other sections and do well in the classroom.

The bill, which would go into effect July 1, passed 5-2.

Committee members spent most of their time debating whether they would be cheapening the value of a high school diploma if they allowed students to get one even though they failed part of the proficiency exam.

"We need a diploma that means something," said Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas. "In my opinion you are lessening the value. The public wants us to have some standards."

Sen. Greg Brower, R-Reno, said if the math test was too hard, then educators should devise a reasonable test.

But Haldeman argued the bill would give students hope that they can secure a diploma.

"One of the biggest reasons they drop out is because of the loss of hope," she said. "They think it is an impossible dream and drop out."

Haldeman said a friend sent her daughter to Utah when she couldn't manage the math test. The girl was enrolled for one day and was given a diploma because she already had more than enough credits to graduate in that state.

Half of the states do not require students to pass a proficiency test, she said.

Students should not be deprived of the opportunity to go on to a productive life just because they fall a question or two short of the passing score in the math exam, said Haldeman, who promised to bring in the test for legislators to review.

Clark County School Board President Carolyn Edwards, who supports the bill, emphasized that it is not for those students who are already failing school, but for those who otherwise would graduate.

"For those kids who (fail) the exam by one or two questions every single time, have their 22½ credits and pass everything else, are we saying we should provide no avenue for them to graduate? Isn't it better to have these avenues for graduation rather than have dropouts?

"We need to be flexible with those students who are close," Edwards said.

But Cegavske said if students cannot pass the math test as it is, they would be put in remedial math when they started college.

Education Committee Chairman Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, argued he would rather a student take remedial math than not go to college at all.

Brower said students might slough off on math, knowing they would receive a diploma even if they failed the tests.

But Haldeman noted that they still would have to achieve a near-passing score in math and do well on the other parts of the tests to get a diploma.

Ultimately, Cegavske voted for the bill after members agreed to her amendment to require school districts to report how many students secure diplomas through the changes allowed in the bill.

But Brower and Sen. Don Gustavson, R-Sparks, voted against the bill.

During the hearing, Brower, Sen. Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, and Sen. Valerie Wiener, D-Las Vegas, admitted they were poor at math and might fail the math test.

Wiener said she received two masters degrees without taking a math course, and Leslie said she took logic as a substitute for math.

The amended bill now goes to the Senate floor for a vote. The original version of the bill passed the Assembly 33-9, with nine of the 16 Republicans voting in opposition.

Gov. Brian Sandoval has refused to say whether he will veto or sign bills before they reach his desk.

The provisions of the bill are not part of Sandoval's education reform plan, which includes establishing school vouchers and changing the rule that when there are layoffs the newest hired teachers are dismissed first.

Review-Journal reporter James Haug contributed to this report. Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.