ALAN CHOATE - Daily Herald | Posted: Monday, February 20, 2006 11:00 pm
A proposal allowing a student who passes two standardized tests to receive a high school diploma advanced in the Utah Senate on Monday by a 20-8 vote.
It must pass one more Senate vote before moving to the House of Representatives.
The pending legislation would grant the diploma to students who pass the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test and also score in the top 15 percent of state scores on the ACT college entrance exam.
The diploma would state that the recipient has "met state high school graduation requirements by demonstrating mastery of knowledge and skills through assessments," according to the legislation sponsored by Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain.
Critics focused on that statement.
Sen. Karen Hale, D-Salt Lake City, noted that high school requirements go beyond what's tested on the UBSCT and the ACT.
Students who don't do well in school but test well could end up with a diploma they didn't really earn, added Sen. Patrice Arent, D-Salt Lake City.
"They're going to have a diploma. I think that's wrong," she said.
Madsen, however, said it's important to have this option for home-schooled students who can have problems accessing benefits like financial aid without a high school diploma, even if they've met all the requirements academically.
Other senators also emphasized that the bill would give advanced students more options.
"This entire bill goes to the concept of competency-based education, as opposed to 'seat time,' " said Sen. Dan Eastman, R-Bountiful. "It'll be a great use to those young individuals who want to move on to college early."
Madsen described the new category as an "alternate route" to higher education, and said the bar is set high enough that colleges won't be flooded with new students who need a lot of remedial help.
"This is not designed to be a replacement, or to even be compared to a full high school diploma," he said. "It deals with students in a fairly narrow strata. It just allows them to move on and continue their education."
"It is beyond the cookie-cutter. It is 'outside the box.' "
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A8.