California High School Exit Exam

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The California High School Exit Exam (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.[1] The test first applied to the graduating class of 2006, with approximately nine of every ten students passing.[2] The legality of the test continues to be challenged in court, and a California appellate court began hearing a case on the matter on July 25, 2006.[3]

Contents

[edit] Composition

The CAHSEE is divided into two main sections: English-language arts (ELA), and mathematics.[1] The English section includes 72 multiple choice questions, and requires students to respond to a prompt with an essay of at least 1,500 words.[4] The mathematics section consists of 80 multiple choice questions.[5]

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.[2] Students are offered six chances to pass the test, beginning in their sophomore year, and need only retake a section or sections they have not yet passed.[1]

[edit] Special Education

As of October 29, 2006 high school seniors with documented disabilities will be allowed to graduate this year, even if they do not pass the CAHSEE. The bill was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday.

[edit] History and controversy

The California state legislature passed the CAHSEE into law in 1999, the brainchild of then-state senator Jack O'Connell,[6] 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.[1]

As the 2006 deadline neared, political pressure against the exam built up; though O'Connell (now state Superintendent of Public Instruction) resisted such pressure,[6] the state legislature enacted SB517, granting students with learning disabilities a one-year reprieve.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

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

In May of 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,[10] 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.[3]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d [1] California Department of Education. "Program Overview," retrieved July 7, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c [2] Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times. "Exit Exam Leaves 2006 Class 42,000 Short," June 2, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.
  3. ^ a b [3] Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times. "Exit Exam Hearing Scheduled for July," May 27, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.
  4. ^ [4] California Department of Education. Standards and Assessment Division. "CAHSEE Language Arts Blueprint," July 9, 2003. Retrieved July 7, 2006.
  5. ^ [5] California Department of Education. Standards and Assessment Division. "CAHSEE Mathematics Blueprint," July 9, 2003. Retrieved July 7, 2006.
  6. ^ a b [6] Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times. "O'Connell Is Champion of Exit Exam," May 29, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.
  7. ^ [7] California Department of Education. "Senate Bill 517 Q&A." Retrieved July 7, 2006.
  8. ^ [8] Jeff Hudson, The Davis Enterprise. "Exit strategy," January 22, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.
  9. ^ [9]Hollister Free Lance. "The Trouble With CAHSEE," January 4, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.
  10. ^ [10] Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times. "Quick Answer Sought on Exit Exam," May 20, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.

[edit] External links

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