Grads take a hit

ROYAL CITY - The science (biology) test added two years ago to mandatory state testing (HSPE) is taking the toll some administrators feared would occur this year.

As of last week, Wahluke High School had 30 seniors who were not eligible to graduate. They have yet to pass science or one of the other required tests.

If things don't change before graduation time, Wahluke will suffer its largest number of non-graduates in the past few years.

The situation is not as dire at Royal High School, in terms of numbers. But it is serious for the three seniors there who are not yet eligible.

It is serious enough that state testing coordinator Andrew Perkins recently spoke with area representatives in the legislature about a change. He suggested the HSPE be for placement instead of graduation.

"They wouldn't go for it," he said. "They want to hold students accountable."

Wahluke Principal Jeff Pietila said: "There is a move in the legislature to separate the HSPE (High School Proficiency Exam) from graduation."

Not this year, however. The seniors on the outside of graduation are staring at another year to get their diplomas.

However, they still have opportunities to conquer the science requirement or any other test they haven't passed. They can do it through collection of evidence classes both schools offer.

In these classes, students study in modules (sections), answering questions as they go. They can do as few as six modules or as many as eight. There are 16. After the modules are completed, a state board determines if the student has passed.

"We are provided information on what the testing will entail," Wahluke biology collection of evidence teacher Joe Kiesel-Nield said. "We teach to the concepts involved."

Kiesel-Nield noted 15 of the students who took the biology collection of evidence course have passed. One who didn't pass, took the HSPE science test again and passed it.

Kiesel-Nield shook his head, saying some of this doesn't make sense.

Pietila noted three of 13 passed the biology collection of evidence at Naches High School. He said six of 19 passed at Granger.

The reason, Kiesel-Nield and Pietila believe, is the language difficulty the more recent arrivals from Mexico have. They've barely conquered tier 1 (social) English and are being asked to deal with tier 2 (academic) and tier 3 (subject specific) English.

"And a few of them are really struggling with tier 1," Kiesel-Nield said.

Kiesel-Nield witnessed this in his collection of evidence class. The level of English was as varied as the number of students. He was encouraged when a student would say, "I get it."

Pietila's fear, if the number of nongraduates remains at 30 or near 30, is that dropout rates will increase. In recent years, most nongraduates come back to finish, but this is a bigger number.

"Up to now, our kids have been pretty resilient," Pietila said. "I have every reason to believe these will be, too, but you just don't know."

Pietila said the school constantly works with the seniors who are not yet eligible and their parents.