In Our View June 16: Graduate on Time

As the high school graduation season winds down (Hudson's Bay, Prairie and Skyview high school ceremonies are scheduled for this evening), the tendency is for students and parents to celebrate and relax. There's nothing wrong with that. Graduating from high school warrants a lot of both. And we'll join the proud relatives and excited friends by extending a heart-felt "Bravo!" to all Clark County high school graduates.

But the broader message of this editorial is to parents and students who are on the path to graduation in coming years. That path is complicated, particularly for any parents who expect it to be the same as a few decades ago when they were in high school. High school graduation requirements vary depending on the school district, and depending on the age of the students.

Take the "walking" at commencement issue, for example. As The Columbian has reported in recent stories, students in the Vancouver school district who are on the brink of graduating may participate in the ceremony if they're on track to graduate by Aug. 31. In the Evergreen district, students need only complete 22 class credits, although board members likely will revisit the issue this fall. In the Battle Ground district, students who have completed the course work but must still pass Washington Assessment of Student Learning tests are allowed to participate in graduation, but will not receive a diploma until passing the test.

Elsewhere, the requirements are stricter. Ridgefield, Hockinson, Washougal, Camas and La Center school districts require students to pass the necessary WASL tests before graduation.

Which policy is best? As far as we're concerned, it's up to each school board to decide, depending on what works best for that district. But the key for parents and students is to know every detail of the policy and avoid any surprises — or perhaps more accurately, the shock and disappointment, as reported in a recent case at Ridgefield High School. One Ridgefield senior was not allowed to graduate, pending a ruling from the state superintendent's office, which will grade the student's alternative-assessment work in August.

Suppose you're a parent and you've got your district's WASL-and-graduation policy memorized forward and backward. You've still got some work to do, in close consultation with your child and his or her school counselor:

Graduation requirements will vary according to age.

As The Associated Press reported last week, students who will be seniors through 2012 "will be required to pass statewide tests for reading and writing, or approved alternatives," which is the current policy. But for the Class of 2013 (this coming fall's ninth-graders), passing math and science proficiency tests will also be required, although the state superintendent is trying to obtain a delay of that implementation schedule. And starting with the class of 2014 (this coming fall's eighth-graders), the math exam will be replaced by separate exams for algebra and geometry.

But if the state superintendent succeeds in extending deadlines for implementing these new requirements, the rules will change again. So, parents of all students are urged to stay in close contact with their children's schools and counselors, and maintain that close contact until you see a tassel dangling from a cap.

For more information: k12.wa.us/GraduationRequirements.