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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- More than a fourth of new high school graduates did not pass the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test.
According to the test data released yesterday, about 74 percent of graduating students passed all three sections of the test mandated by state law. But that means 9,500 students didn't pass one or all of the reading, writing or math sections of the test.
Students who don't pass the test get a diploma bearing a stamp that they didn't pass or receive a certificate of completion instead of a diploma.
Senator Howard Stephenson, who carried legislation in 2000 that included requiring the competency test, says it's shocking how many students are graduating without those basic skills.
But educators and Governor Jon Huntsman have questioned whether the test effectively measures competency.
State law requires students to pass all three basic skills test sections and gives them up to five times to take it.
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Information from: Deseret Morning News, http://www.deseretnews.com
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
