It
’s going to get serious for high school seniors during the
2005-2006 school year: if they haven’t already, they must pass the
California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in the spring to
graduate.
It’s going to get serious for high school seniors during the 2005-2006 school year: if they haven’t already, they must pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in the spring to graduate.
In the five years students have been taking the exam, it has been practice for students, but this year, it will “count.” If seniors have already passed both parts of the exam, the English-language arts and the math, they don’t need to worry.
According to the California Department of Education, students had their first crack at CAHSEE in the spring of 2001, when it was offered to volunteer ninth graders. Later that year, an Assembly bill took away the option for ninth grade students.
The following spring, 2002, tenth graders who had not passed both parts of the exam were given the exam, either both parts if they did not pass both, or just the section they did not pass.
Students continued to have an opportunity to take the test again to pass a section or both if they failed it, but even if they reached the end of their senior year without passing both sections, they still received a diploma.
Until now.
The Class of 2006, both at Live Oak and Central Continuation, will have another opportunity to pass, with testing offered in the fall and in the spring. Seniors who have not passed both sections, however, will not be able to receive a diploma during the graduation ceremony.
In 2004, 622 Live Oak High students took the English-language arts portion of the exam, and 84 percent, or 520, passed. The same number of students took the math portion, and 84 percent, or 521, passed.
Results for testing that occurred last spring should be released on Aug. 15. Until the latest results are released, the district doesn’t know how many seniors will have to pass the test this year. This will be the first year the district will have Sobrato High scores, as well as Live Oak and Central Continuation.
The idea behind the exit exam, according to the California Department of Education, is for schools and districts to be able to identify at an early stage students who are having difficulty in these subject areas. If a student does not pass a part of the test as a sophomore, the school then has the opportunity to work with the student remedially.
The student can then try again the next time the test is offered, only taking the section he or she did not pass the first time.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@mo*************.com.
