Students in eight states to graduate early
What's next? Will six-year olds be able to graduate from high school too?
March 5, 2010 • written by Jessica Ferrell
Filed under News
Being in school for seven hours a day, five days a week, and 180 days a year is tiresome, especially for those who plan on pursuing a career that requires extensive education.
Most high school students merely dream about just being able to take a test and graduate early.
However, for a large number of sophomores in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, this dream might become a reality.
In a program started by the National Center on Education and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 10-20 schools from these states will offer a series of final examinations for high school sophomores. If students pass these tests, they are eligible to graduate and begin college immediately.
However, these students would attend community college. Students who wish to attend a specific four-year college would have to finish their junior and senior years so that they could take college-prep courses.
If a student fails the test during his or her sophomore year, they will have the opportunity to take the test again at the end of the next year.
This program, which is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2011, is similarly structured after schools from countries such as England and France.
According to the New York Times, president of the National Center on Education, Marc Tucker said, “We’ve looked at schools all over the world, and if you walk into a high school in the countries that use these board exams, you’ll see kids working hard, whether they want to be a carpenter or a brain surgeon.”
Supporters of this program hope that these tests will enable students to gain required knowledge so that remedial classes in community colleges will not be necessary.
With these tests, states will also pick five accompanying instructional programs for the schools to focus on teaching. The specific required material needed for the test includes subject matter from the International Baccalaureate Diploma and the College Board’s Advanced Placement programs.
Though the program will not begin for another year, students across the country can heave a sigh of relief for the idea that the program has piloted.
why no tn
unfair
i think this should be offer for every student in every state. because its just not fair. what about for the people that want to graduate earlier in the states that are not mentioned up here? Like New York? i thought everyone was equal. and so should be the rules and laws of high schools.