Testing The Diploma

The SunFlierTimesExploreHoward blog says 237 HoCo high school seniors still have not met the state's new graduation requirement.

This is the first group of seniors who have to pass exit tests in algebra, English, biology and government to receive their diploma. Either that, or they must achieve a certain minimum combined score or complete authorized alternative work.

Although Howard County schools posted one of the highest success rates on the state High School Assessments, with 93 percent of the 3,583 diploma-seeking students in the class of 2009 in the clear, the county still has 237 seniors working to complete the requirement.

....Howard’s pass rate tied Harford County’s for the fourth highest in the state, trailing Carroll, Calvert and Frederick counties.

Of the 3,329 members of the county’s class of 2009 who had met the requirement as of May, 86 percent did so by passing all four exams, while 7 percent did so by achieving a sufficient combined score.

WaPo reported that one of every six high school seniors in Maryland has not met a new state test-score requirement for receiving a diploma, state officials reported Tuesday, leaving thousands in jeopardy of missing graduation in the spring.

There was an 11th hour attempt by some members of the state school board to delay imposing the new requirement.

On a 7 to 4 vote, the board rejected an effort to delay enforcement of the requirement after an impassioned debate, during which one board member shouted into his microphone and another almost broke into tears.

The tense vote affirming the Maryland High School Assessments kept the state in a national movement to tighten diploma standards. For several years, Virginia has required students to pass a series of Standards of Learning exams to earn a standard diploma. The District does not have high school exit exams.

Statewide results can be found here.

UPDATE: Here's the school by school breakdown in Howard:

* HCPSS (92.9)
* Atholton (97.8)
* Centenial (92.8)
* Glenelg (97.8)
* Hammond (90.2)
* Howard (96.4)
* Long Reach (88.5)
* Marriotts Ridge (96.6)
* Mt. Hebron (93.7)
* Oakland Mills (79.6)
* Reservoir (90.4)
* River Hill (99.0)
* Wilde Lake (89.5)