Tests try to measure diploma’s worth

By Alexandria Finney
Poca High School

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

As seniors approach graduation, many are anticipating leaving high school behind. A diploma should certify that they are ready for life in today’s difficult society - but what if it doesn’t?

How can schools be sure that the students receiving diplomas are worthy of them? For many states, the answer is testing.

More than half of the states in the country now require students to pass an exit exam or end-of-course exams in order to get a diploma. These tests assess what students have learned in courses that are required for graduation. They are also used to see how well individual schools - and states as a whole - are preparing students for life after high school.

Though many students likely dread the thought of more tests, Poca junior Joshua Jenkins says that mandatory graduation exams are a good idea.

“Comprehensive graduation exams should be required. They let you know if you are ready to face the outside world. The tests would test you on the basics of each subject to make sure that you have some understanding of each. Some students may think that this is just another boring test, but it is actually to make sure that every student meets graduation requirements.”

How do states already using the tests hold students accountable for their performance?

If the student does not score high enough then he or she might not receive a diploma. Students may be required to take remedial courses before they can graduate, or they may have to take such classes in college.

Tommy Chandler, a freshman at West Virginia University, says that such exams are unnecessary.

“I think that the ACT and the SAT act as graduation exams,” he said. An extra, mandatory graduation exam should only be given if a college would recognize it as a placement exam, too. If the state wanted to ensure the quality of its diplomas, it should set a minimum score allowed on the ACT and SAT for graduation.”

Poca senior Robert Rucker agrees. “For some students, it is hard enough to make the grades to graduate, let alone to have to pass an exit exam,” he said.

“It’s already required that you take the ACT and the SAT to be accepted to a college, and these tests are a review of everything that you learn in your high school core classes. So [graduation exams] would basically be the same tests.”