Special education students now required to take CAHSEE
The 2007-08 school year was the first that all students,
including special education students, were required to pass the
California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to receive a high school
diploma.
Tenth graders in San Benito County, including those attending
San Benito High School, Anzar High School and San Andreas
Continuation High School, scored slightly lower on the math section
than the state average, with 79 percent passing the English section
of the test and 75 passing the math section.
Special education students now required to take CAHSEE
The 2007-08 school year was the first that all students, including special education students, were required to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to receive a high school diploma.
Tenth graders in San Benito County, including those attending San Benito High School, Anzar High School and San Andreas Continuation High School, scored slightly lower on the math section than the state average, with 79 percent passing the English section of the test and 75 passing the math section.
The state average was 79 percent passing English and 78 percent passing math, according to a Web site from the California Department of Education.
The most passing scores in the county were achieved by 10th graders at San Benito High School, where 81 percent passed the English and 78 percent passed the math.
“I believe our teachers are doing a great job of teaching standards based instruction so our 10th-grade students could be successful on the CAHSEE,” said Krystal Lomanto, principal of San Benito High School, in an e-mail.
Students have until their senior year to pass the exam.
Last year, 30 seniors did not pass the CAHSEE, Lomanto said.
There were 651 seniors at San Benito High School in 2007-08, according to a Web site from the California Department of Education.
“If they do not pass the CAHSEE they receive a certificate of completion and are not non-grads,” Lomanto said.
Special education students who complete graduation requirement but did not pass the CAHSEE can receive a certificate of completion, if approved by school board members, said Tina Jung, a spokesperson for the California Department of Education.
CAHSEE was a graduation requirement for all students except special education students in the 2006-07 school year, Jung said.
The 2007-08 school year was the first that special education were required to pass the test to earn a diploma.
“The child can continue to take the CAHSEE until they are 22,” Jung said.
“The reality is, once you turn into an adult, you can register in any community college with or without a high school diploma. Of course, we want them to earn a diploma.”
For students who did not pass the CAHSEE in 10th grade, administrators at San Benito High School offer CAHSEE support classes in the English and math sections, said Robin Brown, a guidance technician at San Benito High School.
They also offer after-school tutoring, Lomanto said.
Herbert Kendall teaches the CAHSEE support class in math.
“Basically, you’re just reinforcing middle school essentially,” Kendall said. “Where the kids get tripped up is in 3rd grade. Most of the kids who are having problems there are struggling because they have not memorized their multiplication tables.”
Questions are put in the context of real life situations and test basic concepts such as simple interest.
“It’s a good test,” he said. “If you just review the questions, they are just basic questions that most people in our society should understand.”
At Anzar, 77 percent of 10th graders passed the English section and 73 percent passed the math section.
“We’ll keep doing what we’re doing because we’re successful in making sure that students are completing the exit exam,” said Jacquelyn Muñoz, superintendent of the Aromas San Juan Unified School District.
Last year only one student, a special education student, did not pass the CAHSEE, Muñoz said.
“All of our other students graduated on time, with 100 percent of those students going to college,” Muñoz said.
Last year, 93 seniors were enrolled at Anzar High School, according to a Web site from the California Department of Education.
“I know what we’re doing to support students in passing the test is working due to the fact that we have such a high rate [passing] by the time that they graduate,” Muñoz said.
Administering the CAHSEE is time intensive for staff and stressful for students, Muñoz said.
“Of course we’d love to have everybody pass in 10th grade, but we know that that’s probably not going to happen,” she said. “Some kids, it takes more time.”
Scoring lowest in the county were students at San Andreas Continuation High School, where 54 percent of 10th graders passed the English portion and 29 percent passed the math, according to a Web site from the California Department of Education.
“We don’t have any problem because we provide the interventions,” said Angel Rivera, principal of San Andreas Continuation High School.
Last year, 22 seniors did not pass the CAHSEE out of 138 seniors, said Rosa Linda Rojas, a guidance technician at San Andreas Continuation High School. The students received certificates of completion.
Educators at San Andreas provide summertime, morning, lunchtime and after school tutoring, Rivera said.
“More one on one help, because we’re a smaller school,” Rivera said. “And we call the parents all the time.”
Educators do not work on the CAHSEE very heavily until 11th and 12th grades, Rivera said.
To pass the CAHSEE, students must know Algebra I, a subject tested by the California Standardized Testing and Reporting test, Rivera said.
“We concentrate on the [STAR] examinations in the 10th grade to help them pass the CAHSEE in the 11th and 12 grades,” Rivera said.
Percentage of 10th graders passing the 2007-08 California High School Exit Exam
Gilroy: 81 percent passed English; 83 percent passed math
San Benito High School: 81 percent passed English; 78 percent passed math
Anzar High School: 77 percent passed English; 73 percent passed math
San Benito County:79 percent passed English; 75 percent passed math
Mount Madonna Continuation High School: 59 percent passed English; 47 percent passed math
San Andreas Continuation High School: 54 percent passed English; 29 percent passed math
Statewide:79 percent passed English; 78 percent passed math
