LAS VEGAS (AP) - Passing math and English classes with a D and simply taking the proficiency test will be all that Nevada high school freshmen and sophomores need to do in 2014 and 2015 to meet future graduation requirements, according to a state Board of Education decision.
Trustees took what schools chief Dale Erquiaga called a simple solution to a difficult problem stemming from a change to new standardized math and English proficiency exams for freshmen and sophomores.
The board decided Thursday that the first two classes taking the exams will need to simply earn a passing grade in the correlating classes, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. (https://bit.ly/RvfoET )
“This transition is a complex one,” Erquiaga said. “I have stopped banging my head against the wall trying to find the perfect answer and have realized we need a simple answer we can explain to mom and dad.”
“For these two classes, graduation will mean taking the test and passing the class,” he said.
Deputy Superintendent for Student Achievement Steve Canavero said the graduating classes of 2017 and 2018 will still take the end-of-course exams in math and English. Their scores will provide a baseline for the state to set passing scores for students in the class of 2019.
Trustee Kevin Melcher supported the no-stakes testing for the classes of 2017 and 2018 but worried about lowering standards for students passing 9th and 10th grade English and math courses in districts that make D a passing grade.
But Canavero said school districts around the state sought the D line because of variability in course grades between districts and schools.
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Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, https://www.lvrj.com
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