Help likely for those who failed math test

Tuesday, May 18, 1999 | 2:05 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The 2,330 high school seniors who haven't passed the proficiency examination in math apparently will get a helping hand from the Legislature.

Many of those seniors, according to reports, are A or B students who have completed the required 22.5 credits for graduation. But without passing the test, they won't get diplomas.

The Senate Finance Committee Monday agreed to allocate $300,000 to pay for remedial math education courses this summer for these students who will be able to take the test in July and August.

The plan, authored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, says any student who received a scholarship for the University and Community College System of Nevada would retain it unless he couldn't pass the August examination.

There have been reports that some students who have earned scholarships have failed the examination. As of April, 13.8 percent of the 16,824 seniors couldn't pass the math test. However, 96 percent of the students cleared the reading examination for graduation from high school.

The Assembly Education Committee last week voted to lower the passing grade from 61 to 57 to allow more students to get their high school diplomas. But in less than 24 hours, the committee reversed itself.

Education committee members discussed exempting students from passing the math proficiency examination this year to allow them to get their diplomas. But that idea was discarded.

Keith Rheault, deputy state superintendent of public instruction, endorsed the committee's action to provide the remedial instruction. He said it doesn't help a student if the standards are lowered. The best approach is to help the youngster reach those standards.

The 1997 Legislature ordered tougher proficiency tests and higher passing grades.

In the past, a student, starting in his or her junior year, could take the proficiency examination five times in order to get a diploma. The state Board of Education recently agreed to have an extra examination in May. The results from that test won't be known until next week.