The dreaded state tests come in January and May, but summer vacation’s almost gone by the time students receive results.

That leaves high schoolers little time to schedule classes in areas where they need help and eliminates the possibility of remedial work in summer school, principals and parents complain.

Now a Prince George’s County delegate wants to make the state Department of Education release the results of the High School Assessments in biology, English, algebra and government by July 1, under a bill introduced by Justin Ross, a Democrat.

“We have to wait until almost September for the results, and that’s hard on us,” said Nathaniel Gibson, principal of Milford Mill Academy in Baltimore County.

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“The sooner we get information, the better we can develop a master schedule for support and remedial classes. Most of the time, we are just guessing. For the students, if they know sooner that they passed or didn’t pass an exam, they could put different courses in.”

If passed into law, this change would become effective June 1.

“Over and over again, I hear complaints from people about how their kids can’t plan for next year because they don’t find out the results until so late,” Ross said.

State education officials are still determining how much this truncated turnaround time would cost the state, but the price tag would be “significant,” said Bill Reinhard, a state education department spokesman.

Officials have taken steps to get results to schools sooner, dropping the writing section, both the short-answer and essay portions, starting in 2009 so computers can replace human readers and cut the grading time from nine to three weeks.

The need for students to learn their scores quickly will grow even more immediate in the next school year. The class of 2009 will become the first class required to pass the tests to graduate.

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com