1.   Even the Arizona Education Association, an opponent of the graduation test, applauds the academic standards.

2.   In other states, parents have sued school districts for failing to prepare their children for graduation tests.

3.   Meanwhile, the College Board is losing its virtual monopoly on testing college entrants, as almost every state has imposed a graduation test.

4.   State law mandates that students pass state graduation tests to be eligible to receive a diploma.

5.   That changes when parents are asked whether they support a graduation test if states give students extra help and several chances to retake the test.

6.   The state is phasing out the graduation test over the next few years, replacing it with end-of-course exams in high school.

7.   Wisconsin recently withdrew a graduation test after protests swept the state.