Seniors doing better on math testing

Thursday, June 2, 2005 | 11:02 a.m.

Clark County high school seniors showed a marked improvement on the math proficiency test, according to Clark County School District numbers.

With commencement activities beginning next week, about 1,300 of the 13,700 seniors in the class of 2005 has not passed the math section of the exam, said Sue Daellenbach, testing director for the Clark County School District. That equals 9.5 percent of the district's seniors. About 200 of those students are also lacking passing scores on the reading section of the exam.

Prior to graduation ceremonies in June 2004, about 19 percent of the senior class, more than 2,200 students, had failed to pass the math section of the exam.

Passing the exam is a requirement for graduation.

The improved pass rate is "extraordinary," said Clark County School Board member Susan Brager-Wellman.

She said the students are "buckling down" and noted the impact of the district making algebra a component of eighth grade, various remedial programs and after-school tutoring programs.

"Our administrators and teachers have really risen to the occasion," Brager-Wellman said.

Brager-Wellman said the spectre of the proficiency exam has loomed large over her own family: her granddaughter passed the math section on her fifth try in April and will receive a diploma from Centennial High School.

"She was really sweating it, at one point she wanted to quit school," Brager-Wellman said. "We helped her get extra tutoring and let her know as long as she tried her best we were proud of her."

The improved performance by the district's seniors comes even as the passing score for the math section was raised three points to 296. The 2003 Legislature, after more than 25 percent of Clark County seniors failed the exam, lowered the passing score from 304 to 290 and ordered an interim study to ensure the test questions were aligned with the state-mandated curriculum.

The passing score will continue to increase each year until it is restored to 304 in 2007.

The current legislative session also focused on proposed changes to the proficiency exam requirements, including a proposal by Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, that would turn the test into a form of extra credit toward an advanced diploma.

The proficiency test is "a more difficult issue than most realize," said Assemblyman Garn Mabey, R-Las Vegas, in an e-mailed response to a request for comment. "It is heartbreaking to some of the students and their parents when they don't graduate with a diploma."

Mabey said he personally knows students who transferred to high schools in other states for their senior year in order to graduate with a diploma and avoid having to deal with Nevada's proficiency exam requirements.

In order to receive a diploma, students must complete 22.5 academic credits and pass the reading, writing and math portions of the statewide exam. Students who are credit-sufficient but do not pass all sections of the exam receive certificates of attendance instead of diplomas.

When it comes to taking part in commencement ceremonies, Clark County, like 14 other Nevada school districts, does not distinguish between students who receive certificates versus those who earn diplomas. Two school districts, Carson City and Lyon County, only allow students earning full diplomas to "walk the stage."

The final graduation rate for this year's seniors won't be calculated until the fall, Daellenbach said. Seniors who take the exam again in July and pass may trade their certificates for diplomas and are counted as graduates of the class of 2005. Some special education students may decide against attempting the proficiency exam again and instead be awarded an adjusted diploma, which will also impact the final graduation count, Daellenbach said.

Of the 2,256 seniors who failed to pass the proficiency exam in 2004, about 1,200 were severely disabled special education students, home-schooled students or incarcerated, according to the district's accountability office. And of the remaining 1,000 students, 40 percent had limited proficiency in English.