Looking for Alternatives

It seems the local school district is in a bind.
It's overseeing a system that is responsible for educating young people; but when the results are measured (by the California High School Exit Exam) many of the young people who “are academically on track to graduate” (whatever that means) don’t have the basic skills (in math and English) that are the foundation for further development as an adult.
The superintendent of the school district is quoted as saying that that “modifications are needed for students, who have definable issues. Help is needed for them to pass the test.”
Logic might conclude that “helping” the students to learn measurable rudimentary skills in math and English might be an important part of what is worked on throughout the four years of “education” while attending high school. I have to assume that students were tested and the teaching staff gave “help” until the students mastered the basic concepts. Surely students deficient in skills weren’t promoted to the next level just to keep them “academically on track to graduate.”
The superintendent expressed concern about the narrow vision of “putting the entire high school experience into one test” seems to be shared by the Board of Education who is considering offering “graduation certificates” instead of diplomas to those who can’t demonstrate that they have acquired basic skills in math and English. Kind of an “honorable mention” for participating I guess.