Ninety percent of Utah's graduating class of 2006 has passed a new state test required for a high school diploma.

This year's seniors are the first class required to pass all three portions of the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test -- math, reading and writing. According to the Utah State Office of Education, 90 percent of students passed the math test, 98 percent passed the reading test and 94 percent passed the writing portion. Individual districts are still tallying their results.

Of participating students, 3,287 did not pass one or more portions of the test. Students who fail a portion of the test but meet all other graduation requirements will receive an alternative diploma.

"The UBSCT results show improvement over time and some narrowing of the achievement gap, particularly for students coming from poverty," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Patti Harrington. "I appreciate the careful assessment and targeted instruction in reading, writing and math that is occurring in Utah classrooms across the state. I urge students of all ages to attend school regularly, work hard in their classes, and focus on graduation and further studies after high school."

The State Office of Education reported that small UBSCT achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity and income level show up in the data. A larger gap exists between students with disabilities and those without disabilities, and between students not fully proficient in English and those who are.

The state Legislature created the UBSCT test in 1999. Students are given five chances to pass each section.

Anna Chang-Yen can be reached at 344-2549 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Number of students in the class of 2006 who did not pass:

Reading, math and writing: 784

Math only: 1,224

Writing only: 427

Reading only: 49

Total students not passing: 3,287

Total math tests passed: 32,440

Total reading tests passed: 36,236

Total writing tests passed: 34,167

Source: State Office of Education