Most of the sophomores in the Morgan Hill School District (MHSD)
have taken an important step toward graduation this year: they have
already passed both portions of the high school exit exam.
Most of the sophomores in the Morgan Hill School District (MHSD) have taken an important step toward graduation this year: they have already passed both portions of the high school exit exam.
“Yesterday we received extremely exciting results,” Live Oak High Principal Nancy Serigstad said Friday. “In our first round of testing, for the class of 2006, 84 percent were successful in passing both math and English. This is more than a 20 percent growth in each area over the past two years.”
The Class of 2006, taking the test the first time, is the first class that will be required to pass the exam before graduating.
The results for the district include students from Live Oak High, Central Continuation High, Community Adult School and Advent Academy.
“We are extremely proud of our students’ achievement,” Superintendent Carolyn McKennan said. “This is very good news for all of us who have worked so hard over the last few years to stay focused on improving student achievement.
“I would like to acknowledge the dedication of all of the teachers in our district who have worked so hard to prepare our children to be successful on the California High School Exit Exam and in their future educational endeavors.”
According to district officials, 83 percent of the 636 sophomores who took the test passed the English-language arts portion of the exam, and 82 percent passed the math section.
Students are tested on material that meets state content standards in English-language arts through grade 10 and math through Algebra I. The questions for both tests are in multiple choice format, and two essays are also required for the English-language arts section.
The state Department of Education website did not have updated information by press time. MHSD Director of Curriculum and Assessment Pat Blanar said she would be interested in comparing the district’s scores with county and state passing rates.
“We had a jump in our math (passing percentage) from 69 percent to 82 percent,” Blanar said. “I would like to see if there was a similar jump in the county and in the state. If there was not, we can really pat ourselves on the back.”
In the English-language arts section, 88 percent of tenth graders passed, combining scores from the ones who passed the test as 9th graders plus the ones who passed as 10th graders when the test was first begun for the Class of 2004.
Blanar said the district has made a huge effort to improve math scores, focusing on making algebra accessible for all students with courses in summer school.
“But this (82 percent passing rate) was among students who were taking the test for the first time, so this is a product of the work we’ve done leading up to this,” she said.
Serigstad said a focus on helping students who were struggling in these areas has made a difference.
“For the last three years our staff has focused on literacy strategies to support reading comprehension for all students in all core areas as well as focused on articulation between the 7-10 math strands,” she said. “As a result, we see continuous improvement in our students passing the High School Exit Exam.”
Under a 1999 law that created the required exam, the class of 2004 was supposed to be the first that would have to pass the California High School Exit Exam to graduate. Students have eight chances to take the test during their high school years.
In July 2003, the state Board of Education voted to postpone the requirement for two years, following a report that found about 20 percent of the class of 2004 would fail the test’s math portion and not graduate.
The report also said about half of students who aren’t fluent in English and three-quarters of special education students would not be eligible for diplomas because of poor test performance.
