About 700 Blacksburg and Gaffney high students will spend next week taking care of important business for graduating high school.

Students will spend April 22-24 taking the High School Assessment Program (HSAP). To receive a high school diploma, students must pass the English and math sections of the HSAP.

South Carolina is among about half of the states nationally that require high school students to pass an exit exam to earn a diploma.

Last year's tenth graders were the fourth group of South Carolina students who had to pass the HSAP exit exam in order to graduate. The exam is based on South Carolina's rigorous academic standards, which became law in 1998 and have been rated among the nation's toughest.

Cell phones and electronic devices are one thing the state will be cracking down on during exit exam testing this year, said Kathy Phillips, testing coordinator for the Cherokee County School District.

"There was a big problem last year with cell phones being brought into testing locations," Phillips said. "Students may not bring any electronic device with them that can be used for communications, timing or imaging."

Cherokee County students will take the exit exam on the following dates next week:

Tuesday, April 22: HSAP English/Language Arts (Session 1)

Wednesday, April 23: HSAP English/Language Arts (Session 2)

Thursday, April 24: HSAP Mathematics.