Say 11 percent of Clark County seniors need passing score to graduate

LAS VEGAS - A new report says 11 percent of Clark County seniors who have credits to graduate still need a passing score on the state's High School Proficiency exam.

The exam is the final requirement in earning a degree. Those who don't make it wind up with a certificate of attendance.

Statewide, 9 percent of Nevada seniors are now in that situation with one more opportunity to take the test this summer. They are eligible to retake the exam next school year.

''Math is still the difficult area for most students,'' Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education Leonard Paul said Thursday. ''But I'm confident we'll continue to see improvement in that area. Our goal, of course, is for every student to pass the state proficiency exam.''

The district's class of 2000 has 10,242 seniors. Of those, 21 percent are credit-deficient - even if they pass the test, they have not completed their required high school classes.

But having the necessary credits is no guarantee of passing the exit exam. Of the 8,137 district seniors who have all their credits, 89 percent were able to earn passing scores on the three-part test, which covers reading, writing and math.