Why some Dist. 211 seniors might get diplomas late
More than angry 300 seniors at Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 signed a petition opposing a policy that could prevent them from receiving their diplomas on time.
"It stands for how many people's lives are affected by this," Conant senior Samantha Mikos told board members Thursday during the meeting at Conant High School.
Mikos was responding to a new policy requiring District 211 seniors to take a final exam if they fail the Prairie State Achievement Exams that they took the year before. Previous classes had the choice of taking the final exam or simply accepting a final grade without taking the test.
Mikos said she barely missed passing the science portion on the PSAE and will now have to take a final in her Biology II class. Compounding the frustration is that the final exam is scheduled for after Conant's June 1 graduation. That means she won't have completed her diploma requirements by the time she walks with her cap and gown.
The PSAE is a two-day test required for all juniors, which includes the college-entrance ACT on the first day and another list of questions on the second day. Scores come from both sections and are counted toward the federal government's No Child Left Behind requirement. District 211 juniors finished this year's testing on Thursday.
District 211 seniors found out how they scored on the test they took as juniors two weeks ago, Mikos said. She added that her classmates would now be condemned to look back at their graduation as "a day of empty envelopes" and disappointment, negating the hard work they've done over four years.
Students also said they weren't told that the exam would affect receiving their diploma.
"I think a lot (of) students didn't see this coming," said Conant senior Bob McGowan
Even though McGowan met the PSAE standard and will receive his diploma on time, he still addressed the school board and opposed the new policy.
Superintendent Roger Thornton on Thursday said that under current conditions it was impossible for schools to meet the federal standards. Thornton said there are 440 students in the district who scored at least a 19 on their ACTs, which is good enough for enrollment in public colleges. Yet they all failed the PSAE, he said.
Thornton said he will address the final exam issue at the next board meeting on May 15 and said he was surprised students weren't notified about the policy change at the time they took the tests. There's a chance final exam dates could be moved so affected students could receive their diplomas on time, he added.
Graduation is June 1 for Conant and Schaumburg at the Sears Centre arena in Hoffman Estates. Mikos said Northwest Suburban High School District 214 has the same policy of requiring students to take finals, but allows them to take the tests before graduation.
Thornton and other district officials have been critical of the PSAE all school year, lobbying Springfield officials with the claim that scoring hasn't been accurate.