In recent years, exit examinations to determine if high school seniors can graduate have been the target of parents, politicians and educators charging that they are unfair and too tough.
Now comes a report that says that's not so -- they're not tough enough. It says they don't meet the standards required by colleges and universities, or in the workplace.
Achieve Inc. studied the exit tests from six states that volunteered for the review -- Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas.
The states enroll roughly a quarter of all the high school students in the nation and about half the students who are required to pass a graduation exam. Such tests will also be required by the No Child Left Behind education reform act of 2001.
Achieve is a bipartisan, non-profit organization created by the nation's governors and business leaders. Its mission is to help states raise academic standards, improve assessments and strengthen accountability to prepare students for college and employment.
Michael Cohen, president of Achieve, said at a Washington news conference announcing the report Wednesday that half the states require exit exams or will soon require them.
Cohen hailed the announcement this week that 96 percent of Massachusetts seniors had passed the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test. Although it was up from 95 percent last year -- the first year the test was required for graduation -- the achievement gap between minorities and whites is closing.
This year 88 percent of black seniors and 85 percent of the Hispanics passed, compared with 39 percent of blacks and 35 percent of Hispanics in the first tests two years ago. Of the white students taking the test, 98 percent passed.
"That's a phenomenal closing of achievement gaps," Cohen said.
He said it provided more evidence that students can learn as a result of the tests.
"We shouldn't lower the bar and we shouldn't put off testing," he said. "Frankly, it's unfair to the kids. We suggest that states that don't require tests aren't being fair to kids and are setting them up for a much greater failure later on."
"They have been highly controversial and the subject of a tremendous debate, but most of that is not about what it is they measure and what they need to measure," Cohen said.
Matthew Gandal, director of the organization that headed the study, said it is "perfectly reasonable for graduates to pass these tests. Lower-level content is emphasized in most of the math, and in English, basic skills are emphasized."
He said the tests were measured against two yardsticks. The math used the Third International Mathematics and Science Study and its International Placement Grade Index used by 41 countries. The overall study has determined that U.S. schools generally teach math content a year or more later than most countries.
The English tests were measured against the levels used by the ACT on its college admissions tests, Gandal said.
The English tests most closely resemble ACT's EXPLORE test given to eighth and ninth graders, the study said.
In math, students can pass the tests by answering questions that on average fall between the middle of seventh grade and the end of eighth grade, according to the grade index.
"Though these tests are far less rigorous than most parents and taxpayers might expect, the states that give them are doing the right thing," Cohen said.
"They are using the exams to stretch their students and schools beyond previous performance levels. Initially low passing rates are yielding to improved performance," he said.
"Yet our research shows that, over time, states must expect even more in order to prepare their students for college and work after high school."
Cohen said times are changing in a way that all high school graduates need some kind of post-secondary education, although that is not limited to college.
But he said the inadequate preparation of high school graduates continuing on to college is evident by the amount of remediation they have to take in college. The remediation carries no credits and increases the cost of post-secondary education.
He said employers are also unhappy with the kind of product they are getting.
"Hopefully, we'll begin to see some remediation rates beginning to decline and employers who are satisfied with the results," Cohen said.
Gandal said tougher tests will improve that situation.
The study said states can increase the "the rigor of their assessments" by asking questions that measure higher-level content.
It said 5 percent of the points students can earn involve three-dimensional geometry concepts such as volume and surface area that are vital to jobs from construction to manufacturing.
In English language, 3 percent of the points can be earned on critical reading -- differentiating fact and opinion or weighing faulty points and sound reasoning.
Another suggestion is to raise the passing scores, something that is being considered in Massachusetts. Texas has already done it.
"We know there are some concerns that the tests are over demanding on students, and we don't agree," Gandal said. "The tests need to be ramped up over time, we believe."
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