California High School Exit Exam

The California High School Exit Exam (or CAHSEE) is a requirement for high school graduation in the state of California, created by the California Department of Education to improve the academic performance of California high school students, and especially of high school graduates, in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics; public school students must pass the exam before they can receive a high school diploma, regardless of any other graduation requirements. [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/overview.asp] California Department of Education. "Program Overview," retrieved July 7, 2006.] The test first applied to the graduating class of 2006, with approximately nine of every ten students passing. [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-exitexam2jun02,1,6535322.story] Seema Mehta, "Los Angeles Times". "Exit Exam Leaves 2006 Class 42,000 Short," June 2, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.] The legality of the test continues to be challenged in court. [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-exit27may27,1,1415289.story] Joel Rubin, "Los Angeles Times". "Exit Exam Hearing Scheduled for July," May 27, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.]

Composition

The CAHSEE is divided into two main sections: English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The English section includes 79 multiple choice questions, and requires students to respond to a prompt with a 2 1/2 page essay. [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/documents/bplangarts03.pdf] California Department of Education. Standards and Assessment Division. "CAHSEE Language Arts Blueprint," July 9, 2003. Retrieved July 7, 2006.] The mathematics section consists of 92 multiple choice questions. [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/documents/bpmath03.pdf] California Department of Education. Standards and Assessment Division. "CAHSEE Mathematics Blueprint," July 9, 2003. Retrieved July 7, 2006.] Scores are scaled out of a possible 450 points on each section. The essay portion is scaled out of one to four.

The English section tests students at a 10th-grade level, and requires a score of 60% to pass; the mathematics section tests students at an 8th-grade level, and requires a score of 55% to pass. Students are offered six chances to pass the test, three for each section, beginning in their year and need only retake a section or sections they have not yet passed.

pecial education

As of October 29 2006, high school seniors with documented disabilities were allowed to graduate in that year, even if they did not pass the CAHSEE.

History and controversy

The California state legislature passed the CAHSEE into law in 1999, the brainchild of then-state senator Jack O'Connell, [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-guideschools29may29,1,4695854.story] Mitchell Landsberg, "Los Angeles Times". "O'Connell Is Champion of Exit Exam," May 29, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.] and was first taken by volunteer freshmen from the class of 2004, in October of 2001. Initially, the test was intended as a graduation requirement for the class of 2004, but the State Board of Education later revised the deadline, focusing on the class of 2006.

As the 2006 deadline neared, political pressure against the exam built up; though O'Connell (now state Superintendent of Public Instruction) resisted such pressure, the state legislature enacted SB517, granting students with learning disabilities a one-year reprieve. [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/sb517qanda.asp] California Department of Education. "Senate Bill 517 Q&A." Retrieved July 7, 2006.] Some suggestions included grading students based on a "portfolio of work," and in October of 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation which would have allowed students to pass alternative assessments. [http://www.davisenterprise.com/articles/2006/01/22/features/344fea0.txt] Jeff Hudson, "The Davis Enterprise". "Exit strategy," January 22, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.] Supporters of the test have claimed that the large number of failing students brings into question the value of passing grades in California high schools. [http://www.freelancenews.com/opinion/contentview.asp?c=176087] "Hollister Free Lance." "The Trouble With CAHSEE," January 4, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.]

As of June 2, 2006, 41,758 members of the California class of 2006, or one of every ten students, were denied diplomas as a result of failing the CAHSEE; this did not include students who had failed to meet other graduation requirements. The passing rate of white and Asian students was higher than that of Latino and African-American students. Students learning English had the lowest passing rate, with one out of every four failing the exam. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, Superintendent Roy Romer allowed those who did not pass the CAHSEE to participate in graduation activities if the student agreed to take the CAHSEE during the summer.

In May 2006, an Alameda County Superior Court judge struck down the CAHSEE, ruling that students from disadvantaged schools, many of them ethnic and/or poor, had not been appropriately prepared for the test. The California Department of Education appealed the ruling directly to the state Supreme Court, [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-exit20may20,1,6204004.story] Joel Rubin, "Los Angeles Times". "Quick Answer Sought on Exit Exam," May 20, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.] which reinstated the exam and ordered an appeals court to rule on whether the state can legally require students to pass the CAHSEE before receiving diplomas; the appeals court began hearing arguments on July 25, 2006, [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-exit27may27,1,1415289.story] Joel Rubin, "Los Angeles Times". "Exit Exam Hearing Scheduled for July," May 27, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.] and upheld the CAHSEE.

Class of 2007

As of February 2007, 91% of students in the class of 2007 had passed both sections of the exit exam, an increase from the class of 2006.cite web |url=http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/jun/18/most-county-seniors-pass-exit-exam/ |title=Most county seniors pass exit exam |accessdate=2007-07-06 |format=HTML |work=Ventura County Star |author=Marjorie Hernandez |date=2007-06-18 ] Some districts have reported fewer than a dozen students failing to pass, while others report several hundred.

In 2007 graduation ceremonies, many schools and districts opted to allow students who had failed the exit exam, but met other graduation requirements, to participate in the ceremony. Nine districts also gave these students "certificates of completion," recognizing that they had met all other graduation requirements.cite web |url=http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1748419.php |title=Exit exam keeping 394 students from graduating |accessdate=2007-07-06 |format=HTML |work=The Orange County Register |author=Fermin Leal |date=2007-06-29 ]

As of June 2007, 4,000 of the students who failed the exam in 2006 had passed it in 2007.cite web |url=http://origin.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_6090764 |title=California school exams are imperiled |accessdate=2007-07-06 |format=HTML |work=San Jose Mercury News |date=2007-06-08 ] State-wide, 80% of students who took the test in 2007 passed both sections on their first attempt, compared to 40% in 2002.cite web |url=http://www.paloaltodailynews.com/article/2007-6-10-exit-exam |title=Local exit exam pass rates mixed |accessdate=2007-07-06 |format=HTML |work=Palo Alto Daily News |author=Mark Abramson |date=2007-06-10 ]

ee also

*New York Regents Exam
*Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR Test)

References

External links

* [http://cahsee.cde.ca.gov/ California Department of Education]
* [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/index.asp CAHSEE at California DOE]
* [http://www.studyguidezone.com/cahseetest.htm Study resources]
* [http://www.clrn.org/math/ CAHSEE learning resources]