Editorial: High school entry exam makes sense

Friday, June 26, 1998 | 11:45 a.m.

Though it's not a new idea, it's a good one for Nevada. The state Legislative Committee on Education came to that realization Wednesday. The committee recommended that eighth-graders take the exam beginning in the 2001-02 school year. The students would have to prove their abilities in math, science and English.

Nevada in recent years has been saddled with one of the worst high school dropout rates in the nation. At least part of the reason is that many students haven't been fully prepared to handle high school-level courses. They obviously should have received better preparation in middle school before moving on to high school.

Legislators must come up with a sound plan to take care of students who fail the entrance exam. But we think the exam will go a long way toward reducing Nevada's high school dropout rate.

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