ATLANTA — Student performance on statewide high school exams in the South is improving, but states need more rigorous curriculum standards and statewide exams tied to those standards in order to better prepare students for college and careers, says a new Southern Regional Education Board report.
The Changing Roles of Statewide High School Exams shows how students are performing in SREB’s 16 member states on the two primary types of high school assessments — comprehensive and end-of-course exams.
SREB notes that these exams have become important measures for meeting requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and assessing student readiness for college and the workplace. Some SREB states, but not all, require a passing score for high school graduation. The report calls for states to increase exam rigor and to offer practice exams and other programs to help students perform at higher levels.
Most SREB states narrowed at least one achievement gap among racial/ethnic groups from 2002 to 2006 by increasing the percentages of black or Hispanic students passing statewide high school exams in English/language arts or mathematics. Three SREB states — Georgia, Louisiana and Virginia — saw gaps narrow for both black and Hispanic students in both English/language arts and math.
"These results on statewide high school exams are significant," SREB President Dave Spence said. "This is the first time SREB has been able to report such narrowing of achievement gaps for black and Hispanic students. It is critical for states to encourage all students to take higher-level high school courses to prepare for college and careers."
Most SREB states now use — or are planning to use — end-of-course exams, the report shows. But Algebra II and English III, the two end-of-course exams that would help states measure college and career readiness, are not yet in place in any SREB state. SREB urges states using comprehensive exams to strengthen them by including math and reading items aligned to college- and career-readiness standards, which many states still need to develop.
For more information on your state’s high school exams, contact SREB Communications or see the report at www.sreb.org.
SREB, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, advises state education leaders on ways to improve education. SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. SREB has 16 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Each is represented by its governor and four gubernatorial appointees.
