Teachers and students have had ample warning to gear up for test of knowledge learned.
In 1999, schools were warned that as of 2004 this year's high school juniors students would be required to pass an exit exam to graduate. Yet a recent state study indicates that as many as 1 in 5 students will not pass the test an awfully high number.

This dubious expectation has prompted some to push for a delay in making the test mandatory, with understandable concern over what the possibility of a 20 percent failure rate could mean to the social fabric.

But an independent study by the Human Resources Research Organization, which finds that the test is valid and meets all nationally recognized test standards, offers reason to expect students to be able to pass the test to graduate.

The group found that the exam in effect forces students and teachers alike to focus on obtaining the reading, writing and math skills students will need to graduate.

There always will be a reason to delay the test, no matter which class is the first to have to pass it. Schools have had three full years to prepare students for the exit exam, and students are given eight chances to pass the test over the course of their high school career.

Lowering the passing score should not be an option, nor should the test be "dumbed down.' It is a legitimate test of the skill levels students should acquire while in high school.

At some point, we have to just bite the bullet and accept that some students, indeed, will fail. And parents and educators alike have to accept that this doesn't mean that students will have no opportunity for success in their lives if they aren't among those who pass the exit exam.

Giving students a certificate of completion that shows that they have met the 230-unit requirement for graduation is a good idea. Plenty of students have moved into the community college system and trade schools with no high school diploma needed and have become productive members of our community.

But that doesn't mean schools should accept the projected 20 percent failure rate either. Tutoring and extra attention are needed to pull these kids up to the level they should be at. There is still time to work on the skills that students will need to graduate next year. It benefits no one to graduate students who are unprepared to confront the world ahead of them. Indeed, it hurts the students most of all.