Making the Grade

During this past school year, Laurel Rosenhall of The Sacramento Bee tracked the impact of the California High School Exit Exam on students and teachers. The last story in that series, "Put to the Test," looks at what happened at Hiram Johnson High School, a Sacramento school that has struggled to meet the demands of the new testing regimen. I like how Rosenhall shows the benefits and pitfalls of the high-stakes test through the lives of students as they approach graduation night.

For another bittersweet look at graduation, check out "Adam's Way" by Mary Rogers of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Rogers profiles Adam Murray, a teen who refuses to give up on his troubled mother.