Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
A larger ratio of high school seniors in Kosciusko County passed the ISTEP+ Graduation Qualification Exam than in the state.
Countywide, a total of 943 seniors will graduate in the class of 2000. Another 49 students, or 5.19 percent, will leave high school either through waivers (meaning they have met all other academic and attendance requirements for graduation, but have not passed the GQE) or with certificates of completion.
Results from the county's five school corporations vary widely on the percentages of students who did not pass the GQE, from a low of 3.75 percent for Wawasee and Warsaw high schools, to a high of 10.68 percent at Tippecanoe Valley.
The school-by-school breakdown follows:
• Tippecanoe Valley High School - According to principal Charles Mills, there are 131 seniors. As of the last GQE, 22 seniors had not passed and had to retake the test; eight of those passed, leaving 14. Three of the 14 qualified for waivers (including 95 percent attendance, a C-average or above and completing the required number of credits). The remainder - 11 - will get certificates of completion, which attest to the fact that the students attended high school, but are not the same as a diploma and are not considered the same as graduating. The GQE failure rate for TVHS is 10.68 percent.
• Triton Junior-Senior High School - Counselor Hugh Rettinger said Triton will graduate 69 seniors. Five qualified for waivers, and three will get certificates of completion. Triton's GQE failure rate is 7.24 percent.
• Warsaw Community High School - Four hundred seniors will graduate this year, said principal Paul Crousore. Fifteen, or 3.75 percent, didn't pass the GQE, and nine of those will get waivers. Six students will leave with certificates of achievement.
• Wawasee High School - Principal Alan Frank said 213 seniors will graduate this year. Of the eight who did not pass the GQE, he said, five will potentially get waivers, while two or three will receive certificates of completion. The Wawasee GQE failure rate is 3.75 percent.
• Whitko High School, according to counselor Mark Rickert, will graduate 130 students. Seven students didn't pass the GQE, and five of them will get waivers, with two receiving certificates of completion. The Whitko GQE failure rate is 5.38 percent.
