State decides to monitor, not eliminate, alternative school-exit exam Thursday, March 20, 2008 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger After years of debate over its merits, the state Board of Education yesterday unanimously passed a resolution to keep the state's alternative high school exit exam but warned districts that it will watch closely for any abuses. More than 50 high schools and charter schools last year saw at least a quarter of their graduating class needing the controversial Special Review Assessment to gain a diploma, according to data released by the state yesterday. At 12 schools, 50 percent of graduates needed the SRA, including Central and West Side high schools in Newark and Paterson's Kennedy, East Side and International high schools. Also at over 50 percent last year were Irvington High School and CREATE Charter School in Jersey City, according to the state. Other high rates were at Elizabeth High School and Jersey City's Snyder and Lincoln high schools, all three at over 40 percent. The alternative test is an untimed and locally scored exam given to those who fail the standard high school proficiency test. It has been criticized as less rigorous, passed by virtually all who take it. The state initially moved to eliminate the test, but softened the stance in the face of concerns that the students may drop out of school altogether without some alternative test. State board members yesterday said they will only allow so much. "The message we are trying to send loud and clear is we are watching them closely," said Ronald Butcher, president of the state board. "If you are going to abuse the SRA, it will come back at you." The board's vote had been ex pected after state Education Commissioner Lucille Davy and her staff proposed keeping the exam late last year, but retooling it to include more standardized scoring and tighter guidelines on how it is administered. As part of its resolution yesterday, the state board demanded that Davy provide quarterly reports on the numbers of students participating in the revamped process. It also said that all districts where more than 10 percent of graduates need the alternative test will be required to submit a plan for bringing down that proportion, starting next year. The state average of all districts in 2006 was 11 percent, and Butcher conceded it could mean a lot of districts need to address the issue. "The board is really intent on staying on top of this," Butcher said. "This is probably the most important issue we have dealt with in a long time." John Mooney may be reached at jmooney@starledger.com, or (973) 392-1548. © 2008 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.