Stories that appeared in several Ohio newspapers today said about 30,000 of the state's high school seniors have not passed all five sections of the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) and face the possibility of not getting a diploma in the spring.

These students started taking the OGT as sophomores and about 23 percent had not passed the five sections - reading, writing, social studies, math and science - at the start of the recent testing period in early March.

Problem is, these students will not get their OGT results until May. So, they are currently in an academic limbo - not sure if they're going to graduate or not.

The state did not use the curriculum standards (basis for the OGT) until just a few years ago and some teachers feel students didn't have time to adequately prepare. The Department of Education spokesman said the current standards are not that different from former ones and students should not find the test content all that new.

Many people felt earlier proficiency tests were too easy. It's hard to remember now, but only 30 percent of students who took the old 9th grade proficiency test for the first time in 1991 passed it the first time out. However, scores rose quickly and within 10 years, 98 percent of students were passing the test in time to graduate.

Nothing beats preparation for the OGT. A variety of practice tools are on the market, including flash cards, study books and online mock tests. The online practice test by IQ-ity is currently available at no cost to districts who want to try it and run a comparison to similar products such as Study Island. This free trial period covers the strategic summer school period when some of these "limbo" seniors will be trying one more time to pass the OGT.