State board boosts high school math requirements

Sunday, July 11, 1999 | 9:10 a.m.

At the same time Friday, the Board of Education voted not to increase the total number of credits - 22 1/2 - needed to graduate from high school.

The board also voted to create an "advanced diploma" for ambitious students willing to take more classes and ordered school districts to provide remedial help for struggling students.

Under the board's action, the class of 2003 will need to take three years of math for a standard diploma, instead of the current two years.

Board members said the change is necessary to deal with the large number of students who have trouble passing the high school math proficiency test. About half of the juniors who took the test in April failed.

"We have half failing with two credits. I don't know how we'll do it with the new (academic) standards if we don't (raise the requirement)," said board member Bill Hanlon. "We have a demonstrated difficulty with math."

School district officials said they don't object to requiring students to know more math and science, but they think the state should only set a minimum requirement and leave decisions on higher standards to them.

School officials said they also want to see how numerous other reforms from state legislators affect student achievement before tampering with graduation requirements.

Schools already are grappling with new academic standards and tougher requirements for students to move from middle to high school.

The board also required school districts to provide extra classes for juniors and seniors who have failed the proficiency exam at least twice.

Schools now must offer either before- and after-school or summer-school programs.

"The price tag for this is enormous," said Leonard Paul, Clark County assistant superintendent. "Does this board have the authority to require districts to spend millions on outside remediation? It means we'd have to cut somewhere else to provide that."