COLUMBIA, S.C.—South Carolina is replacing its high school exit exam with tests considered more useful to students’ future success, with scores that could go on work resumes or college admissions applications.
A new law signed by Gov. Nikki Haley deletes South Carolina’s 3-decade-old requirement that high school students pass an exit exam to graduate, starting with the Class of 2015.
“The true measure of our education system is how prepared students are to enter the workforce and forcing them to take a 30-year-old, one-size-fits-all test is not the best way to accomplish that goal,” Haley spokesman Doug Mayer said Monday.
It’s a move long pushed by advocates for children with disabilities, who say the High School Assessment Program can be the lone hindrance for students who can otherwise earn the 24 credits needed for a South Carolina diploma. Business leaders also pushed to toss a test that provides no useful information to students or their future employers.
Next school year, the HSAP won’t exist. Instead, 11th-graders will take two tests.
The law specifies one will be ACT’s WorkKeys, a work-skills assessment system that awards certificates for qualifying scores, from bronze to platinum, which students can take to employers. The other will test for college readiness. That specific test hasn’t been picked yet. It could be either the SAT or ACT college-entrance exam.
Eleven states require all high school juniors to take the ACT, including North Carolina. In a 12th state, North Dakota, juniors can choose to take WorkKeys instead. In Michigan and Illinois, juniors are required to take both, said ACT spokeswoman Katie Wacker.
