Fail the test, forget the diploma

But making that extra effort wasn't easy for Tiara. Always a bit grouchy during her first- period English class, Tiara came in more tired than usual and missed homework more often, Ms. Rinella says. As the test came closer, she grew more sullen in class. Her job delivering meals to AIDs patients at a public housing development caused her to miss a one-on-one session with Kathryn, her Boston College mentor. That left only one meeting for them to actually review MCAS questions.

On the first morning of testing, Tiara arrives at her English classroom, wearing her black coat as usual. In the period before the test begins, Rinella plays a Celtic Christmas album to keep Tiara and her classmates calm. Overhead, Santa and snowman decorations hang from the ceiling.

Tiara has said she feels confident about the English composition component of the test. As in past exams, the essay asks students to write about a book, and Rinella reminded students well before the test to have a book and author in mind. Tiara fills three pages with an essay on "The Contender," a book about a boxer who gets sidetracked by hanging out with the wrong crowd.

The math portions of the exam prove more difficult. According to Rinella's account, Tiara sighs and puts her head down on the table at times, working on the test well into the afternoon.

By week's end, Tiara tells Rinella that she probably did better than last time. She also excitedly tells her teacher about a new CD release by her favorite rap singer, Nas.

Later, Rinella says she is happy Tiara could relax a little after the test, but she also worries about what will happen if her student fails again. "She will be devastated, and the thought of taking it again will overwhelm her," Rinella says.

Tiara says she's glad the test is over and that all the tutoring in math and English did help. "Hopefully, I passed so I won't have to take it again."

Any of the 12,000 seniors around Massachusetts who haven't passed the MCAS can take the test again in the spring, but the results will not be available until months after graduation.

School districts can file appeals for those students who fail the MCAS test but would otherwise qualify for a diploma. However, a successful appeal requires higher grades and grade-level appropriate work - probably too high a barrier for special-education students such as Tiara.

Boston school superintendent Thomas Payzant has suggested starting with a lower passing score of 216 this year and gradually raising it to 220 in the third year.

Without a successful appeal or a lower threshold, those who missed the 220 mark again in December will receive only a "certificate of completion." Some Massachusetts school districts have announced plans to offer a "local diploma" - a move state officials have called illegal.

Even without a diploma, though, students might be accepted at a community college. Several New England colleges, including the University of New Hampshire and Western Connecticut State University, have said they will accept local diplomas. But not having a state-certified diploma may still make qualifying for financial aid more difficult.

Rinella says she goes back and forth about the diploma requirements. "Some kids like Tiara who have tried so hard and not been able to pass, you'd like to see them get a diploma," she says. "But a lot of these kids have not taken the grade-level courses that are required, and some kids don't come to class. Those are the ones you question. Do you want to give them a diploma?"

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