Tuesday, the 12th of February, 2007
Just thought we might get some comment from a former "professional
educator" on this one:
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[Indianapolis Star, February 11]
Graduation waivers targeted
State to scrutinize exemptions from exit exam
Related links
By Andy Gammill
andy.gammill@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Indiana education officials plan to crack down this year on 15
schools that allow more than 20 percent of their students to receive
diplomas without passing the state's "mandatory" graduation exam.
Top 5 for waivers
The five metro-area schools with the highest percentage of waivers in
the 2006-07 school year:
Arlington High School: 30 percent of graduates received waivers.
Manual High School: 28 percent.
Key Learning Community: 26 percent.
Northwest High School: 25 percent.
Broad Ripple High School: 23 percent.
Some school leaders worry that such high numbers suggest abuse in a
system designed to help successful students who founder on test days.
And business leaders counting on Indiana schools to improve one of
the least-educated work forces in the country see the waivers as a
step backward.
Statewide, the Department of Education said, the rate of students
graduating because requirements are waived has grown from 5 percent
in 2004-05 to 6 percent last school year, or about 3,300 students
statewide out of a class of 58,000.
Most of the 15 schools with the highest rates of waivers are in the
Gary and Indianapolis school districts.
[...]
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Now, I ask you, Mark, whether you consider graduating 3,300
students out of a statewide graduating class of 58,000, when those
3,300 students have failed to pass a graduating exit exam after
three attempts, and the exam covers only 8th and 9th grade material
is the sound education policy as implemented by education professionals?
[Set the pass/failing bar at any level you like, and the numbers are
always going to mean far more children are failing to learn with the
public schools than fail to learn with homeschooling, and regardless
of the "professionality" of the instruction.]
Mike Morris
(msmorris@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
)
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