Critics Question Fairness of Ind. Graduation-Retesting Policy

By David J. Hoff

Sophomores who failed Indiana's high school graduation test because of the trauma spawned by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States will get a second chance on the reading and mathematics exam next month.

But the state is giving school officials wide latitude in deciding which sophomores retake the tests, leading some educators and observers to question the fairness of the policy. What's more, the state won't offer a special retest to juniors and seniors who took and failed the exam the very same week.

In Indianapolis, all 1,700 students who failed the tests given Sept. 11-13 will have a second chance at passing them. But in other cities, such as Fort Wayne and Muncie, few, if any, students will retake the tests when they are...