There are 18 seniors at Park City High School who have not yet passed the Utah Basic Skills Test. Their last opportunity to take it is from Jan. 31 to Feb 2.
Principal Hal Smith said approximately 40 percent of those who have not yet passed are in special education and are taking evening classes to help study. There are also online tutorials available to help them improve their scores.
A handful of them are English Language Learners.
“They’ve not been in an English language environment long enough to develop those skills. But their scores are improving,” Smith said.
He also mentioned that approximately three of the students still needing to pass the UBSCT are new to the district and are not used to high stakes testing.
Even if these students do not pass the test on their final try they will still receive high school diplomas. A recent decision by the Utah State School Board states that students can earn a high school diploma without passing the UBSCT but the diploma will state if they have passed or failed.
Smith says this will most likely appear on the diploma as an embossed seal in the lower left or right hand corner, as he is opposed to stickers. There will be two separate embossments, one for those who failed and one for those who passed.
“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t do either,” he said. Smith is in favor of using multiple assessment tools rather than using a single test.
He also said the embossment does not mar the students’ accomplishment in having earned all the district’s graduation requirements.
“I think in the real world, you can still say you graduated from high school,” he said.