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Monday, May 12, 2008
Who gets to walk?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Imagine a senior who passed all her required courses, but has trouble passing all parts of the state-mandated graduation tests. Depending on where that girl goes to school she may or may not be allowed to participate in her high school graduation.
Fulton County Schools and Atlanta Public Schools won’t let students walk across the stage unless they pass the Georgia High School Graduation Tests. Others - including Cobb, DeKalb and Gwinnett - let students participate regardless of how well they did on the tests.
It’s easy to see both sides of this argument. Some say it’s unfair to recognize students as graduates if they have yet to achieve that goal. They say letting certificate students participate diminishes the achievements of students who indeed graduated.
Others point to the students who worked hard for four years, but narrowly failed the state exams. They say those children should get to march to the sounds of “Pomp and Circumstance.” Some of these kids are the first ones in their families to finish high school and want that achievement recognized.
What is the fair thing to do? Who should get to walk?
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