72 who failed grad tests now have MCHS degrees; school officials say others ...

Georgia legislators eliminated passage of graduation tests as a requirement for getting a high school diploma this year. That means students who didn’t walk across the stage in years past due to the grad tests can now officially graduate.

Thanks to the rule change, seventy-two former Madison County High School students who failed the old high school graduation tests now have their diplomas. But local school leaders want to get the word out to others who may also qualify.

“Our big concern is that there are still people out there who don’t know about this who qualify,” said Madison County school superintendent Allen McCannon. “There might be people out their working in an industry and don’t realize they can get a high school diploma and it could perhaps help in getting a promotion or whatever. Or they could go on to a junior college or something like that.”

The superintendent said he was glad legislators passed House Bill 91 that opened the door for more graduates, noting that grad tests aren’t generally required in the U.S. to get a high school degree.

“This is a good thing,” said McCannon. “What a lot of people don’t know is that Georgia was one of the few states that required this — to pass five graduation tests. So Georgia had some of the higher standards. Some say that Georgia is lowering its standards. But I’d argue that Georgia is just getting in line with what an overwhelming majority of the people in the country are doing. And that’s one reason Georgia’s graduation rate was a little lower than others. We had stricter, harder requirements to obtain a diploma.”

Anyone who failed the grad tests and didn’t receive a diploma from Madison County High School because of this can contact Shannon Felt at MCHS sfelt@madison.k12.ga.us to obtain a “petition form” for a diploma, or forms can be accessed on the Madison County School System website —www.madison.k12.ga.us/ — or by visiting the high school guidance office in person.

Madison County’s graduation rate has increased dramatically in recent years, from 54.8 in 2005 to 89.1 percent in 2015, the highest rate in school history.