[68skylark]

...however, students would not have to pass any of the end-of-course exams to earn a diploma, as long as they had a passing grade in their courses.

As I read this article, it's saying that the state wants to eliminate the test that's required to graduate. That's quite a change. (It also seems to say they want to replace the old test with new ones, but that students won't be required to pass the new tests.)

[Principled]

The article wasn’t as clear as i’d like - i think the writer had his work “edited” or maybe it was not too clear to begin with? huh - lame writing is pervasive in newspapers.

i wonder if it’s edit problems or writing problems.