Board To Keep History Test Levels

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi history students can breathe easier. The passing score required on the state’s high school history exam is unlikely to rise soon.

The state Board of Education is likely to vote Friday to keep the passing score at its current ‘basic” level, putting off earlier plans to raise it closer to a level rated “proficient.”

James Mason, who heads testing for the Mississippi Department of Education, says the exam is tougher than the high school subject tests in algebra, English and science that are required for graduation.

This spring, 81 percent of Mississippi students passed the history test the first time they took it, but only 70 percent would have passed if the score had been raised.

The delay comes as the state anticipates new, tougher math and English tests.