California's requirement that students pass a graduation examination to certify minimal command of English and math skills has proven controversial because some students have a difficult time passing it. What to do? Of course, some have suggested scrapping the exam. Including a few influential members of a certain urban school district. The West Contra Costa School District in the East Bay region of San Francisco encompasses the city of Richmond, California and a few other low income communities with severe social pathologies. It also ioncludes upper income towns like Kensington and El Cerrito, with few such problems. School Board member Dave Brown put forth a resolution to award high school diplomas regardless of exam performance, in violation of state law, and thereby devaluing the diplomas of all who studied and passed the exam. Fortunately, under threat of a cutoff of state aid, sanity prevailed last night, and the proposal was rejected. The San Francisco Chronicle reports: The...(Read Full Post)