Higher number of seniors pass math exam

Monday, July 12, 1999 | 10:36 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Seven may have been a lucky number for some high school seniors who hadn't been able to pass the mathematics exit examination in the past six tries.

The state Department of Education says 41 of the 103 students who took the math proficiency test statewide this month were able to score 61 or better for a passing grade. This is the seventh time the students had a chance to pass the math portion and qualify for their high school diploma.

The 40 percent passage rate in July compares with the 14 percent passage rate in June.

In Clark County 25 out of 67 students who took the math test this month passed -- a 37 percent success rate. That's far above the 12 percent who passed in June.

Those who took the examination in July were required to attend remediation training before the test.

"Remediation made the difference," Tom McIntosh, of the Board of Education's curriculum and testing division, said.

The seniors who failed have another chance at the end of the month. The results of the July test were released at the meeting of the state Board of Education Friday in Carson City.

There won't be any final results for several months on how many seniors overall failed to graduate this year because they flunked the proficiency tests, McIntosh said.

Earlier this summer there were reports that possibly 2,000 students failed the math portion of the exit examination.

Results of the July examination show black and Hispanic students seem to have the most trouble with the examination. Only 37 percent of the 19 blacks who took the test passed. And 43 percent of the 16 Hispanics achieved a passing grade.

But that's far better than in June, when only 12 percent of the blacks and 11 percent of the Hispanics passed the math portion.

The percentage of whites passing in June was 17 percent, but that shot up to 55 percent in July.

No reading test was given in July for those high school students who failed that portion.

That angered Peggy Lear Bowen, an education board member from Reno, who said it was the intent of the board that extra proficiency tests be given in each subject where high school seniors have fallen short.

But Mary Peterson, state superintendent of public instruction, said the Legislature, which authorized the extra tests this summer, was not as concerned with reading because far fewer students failed that part.

Board member Gary Waters of Las Vegas said there are apparently many cases where a high school student in a public school transfers to a private school to escape the requirement for passing the proficiency examination for graduation.

He said there is a "major structural weakness" in Nevada law that permits this.

But Holly Walton-Buchanan, assistant team leader for standards, curricula and assessments in the department, said she doubted that was widespread since these high school students would have to be going into Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and Manogue High School in Reno. There are not that many openings in those two schools, she said.