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Shelley Osterloh ReportingWhen Utah's High school seniors march down the aisle at graduation, not all of them will get a full diploma. This is the first year the state has required students to pass a basic competency test. Those who don't pass it may get just a certificate that says they didn't meet basic competency requirements.
2006 is the first graduating class required to take the Utah Basic Competency test, also called U-Biscuit. About one in ten graduating seniors failed to pass the three subject exam and their diplomas will say so.
Judy W. Park, Assessment Dir., Utah State Office of Education: "You get a diploma that says you passed the UBSCT for that 90%. You can get a diploma that says you did not pass the UBSCT. But those students have to met all the other graduating requirements that the district has and then you can get a certificate of completion."
The State Office of Education says about 10 percent of the class of 2006 -- that's nearly 3,300 students -- failed at least one section of the basic skills test.
Math is the #1 area where students failed, with 90% passing. 94% passed the writing part and 98% passed the reading portion.
Students have five chances to pass each of the three sections of the test - reading, writing and mathematics. Once they've passed one section they don't have to repeat it, but they do have to pass all three to get that full diploma.
Experts say some students may fail the test because of learning disabilities, others because English is their second language.
"I don't know English very well, so I don't understand the questions that they ask me."
These graduating seniors say they passed the test, but still see how it could hurt those who didn't.
Josh Guanajato, Graduating Senior: "How would that look if you need a job a that requires you to have your diploma? How would that look? Would it make a difference?"
It's a question educators are wondering too.
"We'll have to wait and see what that means down the road. But both are diplomas that child has graduated from high school. "
The Utah Legislature created the Utah Competency Test in 1999 to ensure that graduating seniors met basic education skills. The tests are given in the spring and fall and students take them their sophomore, junior and senior years.
