Class to help students pass graduation test

Help is on the way for high school students facing state graduation tests. By mid-September the state will have preparation classes available to give students a leg up as well as remedial aid.

The Electronic High School, run through the State Office of Education, will be offering a preparation course for the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test.

The program has been in the works ever since the test first reared its head nearly three years ago. It's a free non-credit class open to all students.

All Utah students, beginning with the class of 2006, must pass the UBSCT to receive a high school diploma.

It's part of the Legislature's vision to make schools more accountable for student achievement and give credibility to the high school diploma.

After a two-year pilot, students took the first test that counted this spring.

The UBSCT is first given during sophomore year in the areas of reading, math and writing. But students can retake the tests they fail up into their senior year — giving them a total of five chances to pass.

Those who don't pass receive a certificate of completion instead of a diploma at graduation.

Richard Siddoway, principal of the Electronic High School, said the prep course should give students a boost as it offers instructional units with tutorials in math, reading and writing.

All three tests are scored by computer.

When students take the practice tests provided in the course, the program identifies areas in the exam where they are deficient. Then they are directed to the units they need to brush up on.

Siddoway said the course should be available by Sept. 15. Students interested should go to the EHS Web site at ehs.uen.org to enroll in the course.

"We knew we were going to have some kids fail this, so we wanted to provide something (for remediation)," said Siddoway. "I think it will be a big help to kids and that's what we're really about."

This year 67 percent of sophomores passed the math test, 83 percent passed the reading exam, and 72 percent passed writing. The next test will be given Oct. 19-21.

The Electronic High School serves about 25,000 students, including those in home school, former dropouts and students who want to graduate early.

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