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Graduation test waiver rules may be eased

By MARY MacDONALD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/12/05
Jorge Hurtado returned to high school this year as a fifth-year senior. At 19, he wants to go to college. But first, he has to graduate.

Hurtado has met all but one requirement for a diploma. He hasn't passed the state's High School Graduation Test. The exam is taken in English, a language he is still mastering.

His problem is not unusual. About 5,000 students a year, many with learning disabilities or language barriers, don't graduate on time because they can't pass all five sections of the standardized exam. Many students pass all but one section or come within a few points of the cutoff score of 500.

Students can seek waivers, but the state Board of Education seldom grants them, having given a pass to only 41 students over the past four years.Until this year, when the state legislature threatened to intervene, the board rejected three-quarters of student requests for the waivers.

Now, conceding its process is flawed, the board is preparing to add flexibility for students who fall a few points shy of the passing score of 500. The proposal, to be introduced today, will allow the board to consider attendance, academic records and other factors. "They know a kid's future is hanging in the balance, in some instances," said Stuart Bennett, deputy state superintendent.

Since 2002, state records show most requests for graduation test waivers were made by students with disabilities who had met all other requirements for a tech-prep or college-prep diploma but couldn't pass the exit test.

The new rules, which likely will be voted on next month, require school officials to tell students that they can apply for a waiver once they've tried to pass the graduation test four times and have taken specialized tutoring. Without undermining standards, the new guidelines should help students with borderline scores who previously have been told just to keep trying, Bennett said.

Students first take the graduation test, with sections in writing, language arts, social studies, science and math, as juniors. They get four attempts to pass and still graduate on time. The test mostly covers material taken in ninth and 10th grades, Bennett said. "It's supposed to be a minimum competency of what students have learned," he said.

Special situations

But some advocates for students with disabilities, or those who are learning English, say the changes don't go far enough. The waiver is still tied to performance on standardized tests, something many students have problems overcoming. And the proposal doesn't address a larger issue â€â€