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MCAS preparation
and persistence pay off
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GREG
DERR/The Patriot Ledger
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Jonathan
Galina |
Randolph High senior
exultant about passing
By DINA GERDEMAN
The Patriot Ledger
was, hands down, the best day of Jonathan Galina’s life.
After months of waiting and worrying, the Randolph High School
senior yesterday found out that he passed the MCAS exam, meaning
he is eligible to receive a high school diploma in June.
“It’s a miracle,” he said. “I’ve never been so happy in my life.
I feel like I just won a million dollars.”
Galina was among the 10,500 high school seniors statewide who
received the results of an MCAS retest exam this week. For the
seniors - one of every six - who had not passed the exam, the
December retest was their fourth shot at passing - and their last
chance to receive high school diplomas in June. Another retest
will be offered in May, but the results will not be ready in time
for graduation ceremonies.
Galina, a special-needs student who had failed both the English
and math sections of the MCAS test, was frustrated yesterday morning
when he heard that other high schools gave students their scores
but he could not receive his.
After a sleepless night of worrying about the test, Galina went
to the principal’s office first thing yesterday morning, looking
for his results. He was told that the scores would not be released
to students until today because officials first wanted to make
a presentation to the Randolph School Committee last night.
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“He stopped the car in the
middle of the street, ran in and cried in my arms like a
baby.”
Barbara Galina,
Jonathan's mother |
Galina, angered by the delay, drove to the school committee meeting,
waited almost two hours while the committee discussed other business,
then raised his hand and asked when students would get their scores.
Before Galina could say he was disappointed that he did not receive
his results earlier, School Superintendent Arthur Melia told him
that he had passed, and that he earned some of the highest retest
scores at the school: 230 in math and 238 in English, well above
the passing score of 220.
Galina didn’t believe the news at first. He jumped to his feet
and put his arms on top of his head.
“You know I’m Jonathan Galina?” he asked Melia.
The superintendent assured him it wasn’t a mistake.
“You should be very proud of yourself,” Melia told him. “It
goes to show it can be done.”
Galina received handshakes from school committee members, and
as he left the room, he fell into the arms of the school librarian
and began sobbing.
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His parents were watching the school committee meeting on television
and began cheering when they heard that he had passed.
“When he pulled up to the house, he didn’t even park in the
driveway. He stopped the car in the middle of the street, ran
in and cried in my arms like a baby,” his mother, Barbara Galina,
said. “I have not seen him this happy in so long.”
Galina had attended classes during the summer and on Saturdays
to prepare for the test.
Worried that he had not passed the December retest - and knowing
it was his last chance before graduation - Galina started getting
discouraged in the past few weeks, missing several days of school.
His mother kept telling him that even if he failed, he needed
to finish high school. Although Galina always agreed with her
outwardly, deep down he knew that if he failed again, he was not
going back.
“I was giving up. I was thinking, ‘What’s the point?’” he said.
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With the MCAS behind him, Galina
is looking forward to walking the stage on graduation day
to get his diploma. And he thinks the diploma will make his
college and career dreams possible. |
Galina is one of five high school seniors The Patriot Ledger
featured this week in a series of stories about students struggling
with the MCAS exam. Four of the five students found out this week
they passed. Ashley Shea, a senior at Southeastern Regional Vocational
High School, missed passing by two points.
The Class of 2003 is the first required to pass both the English
and math sections of the MCAS exam to graduate. Individual scores
were released to schools this week. The state will release school
and district results next week.
At the Randolph School Committee meeting, Galina thanked his
parents, his dogs and the high school support team that helped
him prepare for the test.
With the MCAS behind him, Galina is looking forward to walking
the stage on graduation day to get his diploma. And he thinks
the diploma will make his college and career dreams possible.
He is thinking about working as a veterinary technician or as
a counselor in the criminal justice system. He might even go into
politics.
“There are so many careers I know I would be good at,” he said.
“I’m going to be the perfect student.
“Even though I passed, my heart is broken for Ashley and everyone
else who did not. I still want to send a message that it’s not
right to put this anxiety on kids over one test.”
Dina Gerdeman can be reached at dgerdeman@ledger.com.
Patriot Ledger reporter Fred Hanson contributed to this story.
He can be reached at fhanson@ledger.com.
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