High schoolers testing today

By Emily Richmond

Tuesday, April 8, 2003 | 11:02 a.m.

Veronica Alvarez, a junior at Desert Pines High School, has what she needs to succeed when she takes the mathematics section of the statewide proficiency exam this morning -- chocolate chip granola bars.

"They're my lucky charm," said Alvarez, one of an estimated 32,800 Clark County high school students sitting for the exam today. "I want to pass and be finished with it."

Since 1982, Nevada has required students pass a statewide proficiency exam in addition to meeting local school district course requirements for graduation. The exam's difficulty level was increased in 1998 after the passage of the Nevada Education Reform Act.

As of this week, 4,764 seniors still need to pass the math portion of the exam while 1,917 have yet to pass the reading portion, according to the district's testing office. Results from February's writing portion of the exam were delayed because of a scoring problem and the number who did not pass is not yet known, district officials said.

Seniors will get one more chance, in mid-May, to pass any remaining portion of the exam in time to graduate with their class the following month.

Today marks the first opportunity for Clark County sophomores to tackle the math and reading portions of the exam. This year's sophomores -- the class of 2005 -- will also be the first Nevada seniors required to pass a science section in order to graduate. This is the second year of a new version of the math portion of the exam, based on tougher state standards. The new version is about 20 percent algebra, said Agustin Orci, deputy superintendent of instruction for the Clark County School District.

For the past two years the district has been pushing to have every Clark County student enrolled in algebra classes by the eighth grade, he said.

"They call algebra the gateway to higher education," Orci said Monday. "We want our students to be ready." Roger Jacks, principal of Desert Pines High School, said Monday that while he was optimistic that his students would perform well, he was concerned about the new math test's level of difficulty.

As of this week, just over 61 percent of Desert Pines' seniors still needed to pass the math section and nearly 25 percent still hadn't passed the reading section, according to the district's testing and accountability office.

Desert Pines, the only Clark County high school on the state's list of campuses needing improvement, has 1,100 students who are not proficient in English and another 350 in special education classes, Jacks said.

"That means 59 percent of our students have special needs we need to be meeting," Jacks said. "And we're going to do whatever it takes."

To boost Desert Pines' achievement rates the school partnered this year with the Community College of Southern Nevada, offering tutoring to seniors, Jacks said.

Teachers have volunteered to teach special Saturday study sessions and advanced math students set up their own in-house tutoring program, offering help to their schoolmates throughout the day, Jacks said.

"We've seen a lot of student interest sparked this year," Jacks said. "We've tried to come up with creative ways of reaching everyone."

Ashleye Stafford, a junior at Desert Pines, said while the in-school practice sessions have made her more confident about her chances on the math test today, she had hoped to have her proficiency tests already behind her.

"It took me three tries to pass (math) in California," said Stafford, who came to the Clark County School District in October. "I was really mad when they told me it wouldn't count and I had to start all over again."

Jeremy Jones, also a junior at Desert Pines, said he also expects to pass the math and reading sections of the exam when he takes them for the first time today, although he expected many of his classmates won't fare as well.

"A lot of people do well in school but just aren't good test takers," Jones said. "If they get good grades and come to school, they should be allowed to graduate. It's not fair to put it all on one test."

The Legislative Education Committee on Monday supported a bill that would encourage school districts to better prepare students for the proficiency exam, as well as college entrance tests such as the ACT and the SAT. The bill suggests districts offer electives that teach test-taking skills and offer remedial help.

Clark County schools already have electives for math and reading skills and offers after-school tutorials, district officials told the committee.

But Ashley Matthews, a senior at Cimarron-Memorial High School who struggled to pass the math proficiency section despite her 4.0 GPA, said the electives are only open to students who have already failed on the statewide exam.

"It's so much easier to be prepared the first time around," said Matthews, who testified in support of Monday's bill.