Final Exam Failures

The Washington Post has been alarmed by the high failure rate on Final Exams in Math. For those of us in the MCPS system, it's no surprise. When students don't need this exam to pass the semester -- and they can pass by earning a D -- then why bother showing up on Finals Day? I'm not a math teacher, but I know that students play the testing game. My own students, all immigrants, are allowed extended time accommodations, which helps a great deal. (Because they are still learning English, they get up to 50 percent extra time on all standardized tests in English, Math, Social Studies and Science.) Many are lucky to take smaller "sheltered" content classes that have paraeducator support. Others get stuck in math classes that can have more than 32 students. If they don't understand a problem, they often don't know how to ask for help. An ESOL teacher is so much more than a language teacher. I get to know my students and I advocate for them in loco parentis. Who's doing this for the other students?
Note to MCPS: Let's align the Final Exam with what actually goes on in the classrooms. If students are in Related Math, Bridge Algebra, or sheltered content courses then they need a test that is different from the on-level and Honors courses. Same in English, Science and Social Studies. Wouldn't it make sense to test what is being taught? 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/across-dc-region-final-exam-failures-go-beyond-montgom...