Woods Applauds Passage of HB 91

Clayton News Daily | State Schools Superintendent Richard Woods lauded the passing and signing of House Bill 91, which Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law Monday.

The law retroactively eliminates the Georgia High School Graduation Test as a requirement for students who have taken the test since 1994 when the test was established. State Board Rule in 2011 eliminated the test as a requirement for graduation, but that elimination did not extend to students who had already taken the test.

“I applaud and thank Chairman Brooks Coleman, members of the General Assembly and Gov. Deal for passing and signing House Bill 91,” said Woods. “While in 2011 the State Board of Education eliminated the test as a requirement for graduation, it did not extend to students who were unsuccessful on the test prior to that time.”

The law covers all graduation tests, beginning with the Basic Skills Test that was administered to students who enrolled for the first time in ninth grade on or after July 1, 1981, said state officials in a press release Monday.

Woods said that HB 91 makes it possible for those students to get their high school diploma so they can move on to potentially brighter futures.

“Those who completed all of the requirements for graduation except for passing one test on one given day now have the opportunity to go on to some form of post-secondary education, where they can obtain skills needed to have a great quality of life and be contributors to our society,” he said.

Read more: http://www.news-daily.com/news/2015/mar/30/governor-signs-house-bill-91/