Proficiency test scores could hurt graduation chances

Carson City resident Maggie Clement has already bought graduation invitations and a cap and gown for her son's June 10 graduation.

However, she won't know if he will walk down the aisle until May 26, when the results of his math proficiency test will be known.

"I'm beyond the frustration point right now," she said. "As far as I'm concerned my son is graduating. He has fulfilled all his academic high school credits."

Clement's son is one of 42 Carson High School students who took the math proficiency test in April and will not know whether he graduates with the class until May 26.

Carson High School students aren't the only ones waiting to hear whether they will get to don cap and gown.

Carson is one of eight out of 17 Nevada school districts that will have to wait to hear the test results.

The other nine, which have graduations on or before June 3, will receive results for seniors May 19.

Paul LaMarca, an evaluation consultant for the Nevada Department of Education, said he and three other people have been working with the company scoring the tests to try to get the results earlier.

"Hopefully, everyone realizes that there have been at least four people working every day to try and get these results," he said. "We realize the difficulties that families are in, and we are doing our best to try and meet the needs of the district."

LaMarca said the state's contract with CTB, the company evaluating the tests, says the scores will be ready four weeks after the tests are received from the state.

"Kids take the test, the information is shipped from the school to the district and then from the district to CTB," LaMarca said. "Because of the process to make sure the test was fair, we need more than one school districts' results."

The counties that will receive the tests are Churchill, Clark, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Mineral, Nye, Pershing and White Pine.

He said about 3,000 students statewide are affected by the wait.

"The whole state is experiencing a real tough time right now," he said.

LaMarca said he did not know when the districts turned in their scores for testing.

"We've requested some shipping information from the company to find out," he said.

Dorothy Todd, Carson City's associate superintendent for education, said she will give parents the results as soon as she finds out.

"Everybody in the whole state is waiting on pins and needles for them," she said.