Live Oak High sophomores and juniors who need additional
preparation in order to pass the new high school exit exam have
another tool to help build their skills: the Exit Now! program.
Live Oak High sophomores and juniors who need additional preparation in order to pass the new high school exit exam have another tool to help build their skills: the Exit Now! program.
“We recognized the need for a support program for some students,” said David Payne, founder and CEO of the Extreme Learning Center which is offering the program. “About half of the sophomores and juniors who have yet to pass the exit exam need more assist than they could get at school.”
The Morgan Hill School District has made an arrangement with the Extreme Learning Center to work with sophomores and juniors in danger of failing the test.
“This will be a tremendous resource to help those students pass the exam,” Assistant Superintendent Claudette Beaty said during the Jan. 27 School Board meeting when the board approved the arrangement. “This is a good safety net program.”
Payne said he will meet with interested students and parents at 7 p.m. Monday at Live Oak High in the science lecture hall.
The learning center will charge the district $3.45 per student per hour to participate in the program. Beaty said the state will fund the program.
“The state has categorical funds available for programs like these,” she said. “These are specialized funds that do not come out of the general fund.”
Beginning with the class of 2004, California high school students are required to pass the exit exam in order to graduate from high school. This year’s juniors first took the test last year, as sophomores. The students may take the test up to seven times, and students do not have to re-take sections of the test that they have previously passed.
“I met last week with the bilingual parent group as well as the students at risk and their parents,” Payne said Thursday. “We will meet with every single sophomore and junior who has not yet passed the test. We’ll be meeting with students every period of the day on Monday.”
Scores from a the second round of testing were released Sept. 30. These are scores for those students – the class of 2004 – who did not take the exit exam in May 2001 as ninth graders or had taken it but did not pass one or both parts of the exam.
The test was offered again in March and May 2002. Combined, approximately 155 Morgan Hill School District 10th graders took the English-language arts part of the exam. Forty-one percent passed, compared with 62 percent countywide and 54 percent statewide. Combining the 2001 and 2002 scores, approximately 88 percent of Morgan Hill 10th graders passed the English-language arts portion.
In the math section of the exam, approximately 228 10th graders combined took the test in 2002. Of those, 29 percent passed, compared with 43 percent countywide and 32 percent statewide. Combining the 2001-2002 scores, 69 percent of the Class of 2004 in the district passed the math portion.
The 2002 scores include eight Central High students and one Community Adult school student.
Payne said the students in the Exit Now! program will have the opportunity to practice a test similar to the one they are required to pass.
“The assessment software we will use in the program is directly correlated to the California test,” he said. “We will use the results to develop and fine-tune the individual learning plans of each of the students.”
Parents of interested students are invited to attend the informational meeting in the science lecture hall on the Live Oak campus at 7 p.m. Monday night. Details: 782-5045.
