Baltimore County and City students fared the worst on the High School Assessments among the six jurisdictions of the Baltimore region.
“Any time you are not reaching success, it?s disturbing,” said JoAnn Murphy, a former Baltimore County high school journalism teacher who now presides as school board president.
The class of 2009 is the first required by the state to retake the exams until they pass before they can graduate.
More than 69 percent passed the algebra exam; 66 percent, biology; 64 percent, English; and 75 percent passed American government, according to results released this week.
In Baltimore City, Hamilton Middle and KIPP Ujima Village Academy scored the highest in algebra ? even among high schools ? because students are taking the course in eighth grade, said Benjamin Feldman, the system?s research, evaluation and accountability officer.
The top-scoring high schools include Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore School for the Arts and Baltimore City College, which have competitive admissions. The lowest-performing schools include Harbor City, with a 3.2 percent pass rate in algebra; the now-closed Southwestern; and Eager Street Academy.
On average, Baltimore City?s Class of 2009 scored 35 percent in algebra; 11 percent, biology; 30 percent, English; and 33 percent, government.
State schools Superintendent Nancy Grasmick unveiled a proposal this week that would allow repeat test flunkers to instead submit a project to graduate. Only poor test takers with good grades and attendance would be eligible, she said.
But some school officials questioned whether having an alternative would erode students? motivation to pass the tests.
“I don?t want us to be in a position of lowering the standards or giving students the idea that the bar is coming down,” Murphy said.
