Finally, Some Common Sense In Nevada Education

From the LVRJ: 
He wore the cap and gown.
He walked the stage.
He exchanged a handshake for a diploma case.
Rondo Steven Wright was even listed as a diploma candidate in the graduation program, just like everyone else. But Wright didn’t receive a diploma from the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts on Wednesday.
In its place, a certificate of attendance.
“That’s for people who just showed up,” said Wright, frustrated because he passed the required courses and the state-mandated high school proficiency exams in reading, science and math on his first attempts.
He wasn’t able to pass the writing test, but thought he would at least get an adjusted diploma.
The state requires — or required up until two Mondays ago — that students pass all four exams to earn a diploma. The certificate goes to students who meet credit requirements for graduation but fail one or more sections of the proficiency exams.
Although it doesn’t change Wright’s situation, the four proficiency exams are being phased out. The Nevada Legislature decided two days before the school year ended on June 5 that the exams, criticized for being out of alignment with curriculum, will end 2014-15.
But students shouldn’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet.
Four new exams, also required for graduation, will be introduced, but many questions remain. The Nevada State Board of Education made some decisions Thursday, deciding that students who were freshmen, sophomores and juniors in 2012-13 must still take and pass the existing proficiency exams to graduate.
The rationale: It’s bad policy, perhaps illegal, to change students’ graduation requirements midway through high school.
“You end with what you start with; that’s the general rule,” said Stanley Rabinowitz, an education accountability consultant for Nevada.  http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/education/state-kills-high-school-exit-exams-no-help-years-seniors
The certificates of attendance, a consolation prize for almost-graduates like Wright, are also being discontinued.
As a result, Clark County’s 49 high school graduations will look smaller. About 1,000 Clark County seniors received the certificates instead of diplomas each year. They no longer will be allowed to take part in commencement, and they’ll receive nothing showing they met the credit requirements for a diploma but failed the proficiency tests.
Outside Clark County, only about 300 certificates of attendance are handed out annually to Nevada seniors.
“You either graduate or you don’t,” said Interim State Superintendent of Schools Rorie Fitzpatrick , describing how there will be no replacement for the certificate, which confuses students and parents by making them think they have graduated. “And they didn’t.”....
When the transition is complete, all high school students must pass two end-of-course exams in English language arts and two end-of-course exams in math designed to be in line with the recently adopted Common Core Standards.
“And the Common Core world is more rigorous than that of Nevada’s previous standards,” Rabinowitz said.
The way it was- proficiency testing was a waste of time and money.  Tests were giving 2-3 times a year and during these testing times, little teaching was going on, especially for those who had teachers who were giving the tests.
The money spent on writing, correcting and giving out results cost the state and school districts millions of dollars a year.  Hopefully, these costs will be reduced.
As far as students like Mr. Wright mentioned above, hopefully it will graduate more students, though it baffles me why he never passed the writing portion of the test, especially since he took the test at least 9 times or more, could have taken tutoring lessons and so forth.  The writing portion, in my own opinion, is probably the easiest test there is.