Students graduate despite failing math
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Thousands of new Minnesota high school graduates wouldn't have gotten a diploma this year without a waiver from the state.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that's because they repeatedly failed Minnesota's mathematics graduation test. In some districts, as many as one-third of seniors wouldn't have graduated without a waiver.
The Minnesota Department of Education doesn't track how many waivers are issued each year, making it hard to tell how many students didn't meet the math standard.
About 57 percent of students pass the test on the first try, but no one knows how many of those who fail succeed when they retake it.
Department officials say they'd like to collect more information, but have to balance data-reporting requirements with the resources that districts and the state have available.
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