Those numbers showed 97 percent of last year's enrolled juniors have passed the reading section, 90 percent the math section and 83 percent the reading section.

Only when individual school district statistics emerged to demonstrate state office statistics were inflated did Harrington and her colleagues explain they were not actual results.

"We should have indicated there was a discrepancy," Harrington says.

Precise test score data will become available once educators give each student a unique identification code, says Kim Burningham, state school board chairman.

"We'll be able to track students, know what districts they're in and if they've transferred," he says.

The identification system is scheduled to begin by Jan. 1, says John Brandt, director of information technology for the Utah Office of Education.

"We've been working seriously on it since November 2003," Brandt says. "The system is built and has been tested," but some districts are still integrating it with their computer networks.

Using the Office of Education's "ballpark numbers," Harrington says up to 34 percent of Utah seniors may not receive basic diplomas because they fail their exit exams.

Christine Kearl, a state associate superintendent who oversees student achievement, foresees special education and English-learning students as those most likely to fall short on the exams. But she has no projections for pupils who have ignored prior opportunities to take the exam.

"I'm hoping they've taken it seriously since the beginning," she says.

mcronin@sltrib.com