We wouldn't want them to be able to read their diplomas would we?

I have often criticized the US educational system, but this takes the cake. A study apparently is claiming it is unfair to require high school graduates in US schools to be able to be competent in English, which the last time I checked was the predominate language here. If I decided to move to, for example, France, how far do you think I would get in arguing that it would be unfair to require me to speak French in order to graduate from one of their schools? Only in America...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Huge numbers of students who don't speak or read English well may be denied a high school diploma based on graduation tests that do not fairly measure their skills, a study suggests.

Many states are struggling to help those learning English as a second language. Such students -- mainly immigrants -- pass graduation exams on their first try at least 30 to 40 percentage points less often than other students, the Center on Education Policy found.

That performance has big implications, as almost nine in 10 limited-English students are expected to face such a high-stakes test in their state by 2012.