Math proficiency exam to take toll

Terry Webster

Monday, Dec. 3, 2001 | 9:13 a.m.

More than one-half of all Nevada students will need to retake courses or receive remedial help to pass the High School Proficiency Exam in math.

The state anticipates that 52 percent of juniors will fail the new and harder math exam on the first try, based on passing scores set Saturday by the State Board of Education.

For reading, the outlook is better, with just 17 percent of juniors expected to fail.

And while the projected failure rates cover all students, failure among minority students is expected to be even higher, officials said.

Officials argued that passing rates will increase over time because students can take the math and reading portions up to eight times and they have five attempts to pass writing. All three portions of the exam must be passed to earn a Nevada high school diploma. In 2005, a science exam will be added as another requirement.

Some board members questioned whether schools will be able to pay for or accomodate all students who need remedial help. The impact the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will have on state revenues still remains unclear.

The new scoring system will apply to the October math exam this year and future exams. A harder exam released this fall reflects 1998 education standards, while the previous test was based on 1994 standards.

Students will have to correctly answer at least 68 percent of all questions to pass math. For reading, it's 65 percent.

Officials said the new math exam is more difficult and about 25 percent of it requires skills in algebra and geometry. Reading is harder because it contains more complicated passages.

During discussion, board members and state education officials struggled to agree on how to keep standards high but still remain fair to students.

At the meeting held at KLVX Channel 10, several proposals were brought up for a vote and then were either withdrawn or modified before the board decided how the tests will be scored.

State Superintendent Jack McLaughlin, consultant Stan Rabinowitz and state testing director Paul LaMarca all recommended a scoring formula that would have required students to get at least 59 percent correct in reading and 62 percent in math.

But the board voted for a minimum of 68 percent correct in math and 65 percent correct in reading.

Board member John Hawk, a Clark County School District teacher, said he had a problem with a proposed passing score of 59 percent for reading. Students who answered only 59 percent of questions correct on an exam in his classroom would not pass, he said.