Over 100 seniors must pass the test this year to graduate
It’s crunch time for the 100 or so Live Oak seniors who have not passed the California High School Exit Exam yet. Seniors must pass the test in order to graduate for the first time in state history this year.
Fortunately, the students still have several chances to pass the general-curriculum based exam before graduation in June, but if they don’t, they won’t join their classmates on graduation day June 16.
“For about half of those, 50 or so, it’s just a matter of tracking them down, getting on the phone to their parents, making sure everyone knows that this is the year it counts,” said Pat Blanar, director of curriculum and assessment for the district. “Some of these are students who have just come into the district that we need to contact. Some of them are our English language learners and special ed students.”
Though the exam has been around since 2001, this will be the first year diplomas will be denied to seniors not passing both sections of the exam. They will have up to three opportunities before graduation to retake the English and math sections.
“They have time, and we will help them,” Blanar said. “We are meeting to work out strategies to get these kids what they need in order to pass. We would very much like to see all our seniors cross the stage during graduation.”
With that in mind, according to the California Department of Education, the state has set aside money to help seniors who need it.
An additional $20 million has been earmarked in the state budget to assist those members of the class of 2006 still struggling to pass the Exit Exam. The state has also allocated $48 million specifically to assist students receiving special education services, as well as $165 million for all students in grades seven through 12 that are in need of remedial instruction.
Superintendent Alan Nishino, who said he was pleased with the results from this spring’s testing, agreed with Blanar that he would like to see all seniors graduate. There are options for those who don’t, he said.
“The student could attend adult school and work to get his or her GED,” he said. “And junior colleges do not require a diploma, so that’s an option. It’s not as though students who don’t pass the Exit Exam will be denied a chance at furthering their education. However, we want to be sure we do everything we can to help those who need it, to give them every opportunity for success.”
The latest results – from testing in the spring – were released last week. Of the 455 Live Oak High students who took the English-language arts portion, 69 percent, or 313 students, passed. Eighty-six percent of Sobrato High’s 289 students, or 248 students, passed the English-language arts. In the math section, 72 percent of the 457 Live Oak students, or 327 students, passed, while 86 percent of the 290 Sobrato students, or 250 students, passed.
Statewide, results of the spring testing reveal good news for the class of 2007. About three-fourths of participating tenth graders passed each part of the test: 75 percent in English-language arts and 74 percent in mathematics. These scores show students in the class of 2007 performing as well or better than the class of 2006.
Total statewide results show that of 639,868 students tested on the math section, 402,150 students, or 63 percent, passed; in the English-language arts section, 639,334 were tested and 415,854, or 65 percent, passed.
In Santa Clara County, a total of 23,659 took the math portion of the test, and 16,869, or 71 percent, passed. In English-language arts, 24,272 took the exam, and 17,227 students, or 71 percent, passed.