The state Department of Education says one third of Oregon’s incoming high school seniors failed to pass the state’s standardized writing exam. They needed to meet a certain score to graduate next spring. But as Rob Manning reports, the results shared Thursday aren’t students’ last chance to show they can write.

When Oregon’s Board of Education changed the high school diploma a few years ago, it made Writing an essential skill that students need to have, in order to graduate.

Students’ primary way to do that is by passing a standardized Writing exam their junior year. According to preliminary results from the Department of Education, though, about one-third of students didn’t pass last school year.

The test isn’t offered again senior year. Seniors will be able to use work samples to demonstrate they can write. Those samples are graded locally against a state-approved scoring guide.

This story originally appeared on Oregon Public Broadcasting.