My 2 Cents: EOI Tests Keep Some Oklahoma Students From Graduating

I'll tell you, my heart really goes out to those 2,000 Oklahoma high school students who thought they were graduating, but may not get their diplomas after all.

They've completed their class work, but a law passed in 2005 requires that they also pass four out of seven end-of-instruction exams. Basically they're benchmark tests to prove they've learned what they should have learned in high school.

I wasn't a great test taker, one of my good friends was terrible at tests, but graduated, then graduated from college, and is now a successful businessman in Dallas.

Supporters of the testing say the EOI's make Oklahoma diplomas mean more. I would agree.

Let's face it, some kids are bluffing their way through school, getting the work done one way or another, but not really learning the material. You have kids who make A's and B's then check in with a 17 on the ACT test.

I feel for the kids who didn't pass the exams, sometimes there are extenuating circumstances, and there's an appeals process for that. But it's time for our kids to prove they're learning what they're supposed to learn.