With San Benito High School and Anzar students hitting the books
again this week, it is time to get back into the academic swing of
things.
With San Benito High School and Anzar students hitting the books again this week, it is time to get back into the academic swing of things.
That especially pertains to the 150 or so seniors who still need to pass the California High School Exit Exam at San Benito High School. The class of 2006 is the first group of students who must pass these tests to graduate from high school.
And there are plenty of seniors who have yet to make the grade.
There are 163 SBHS seniors, about 25 percent, who need to pass the math exam and 138, about 21 percent, who still need to pass the language exam. While 30 percent of students in both categories receive special education services, those are not insignificant numbers of local students who still need to pass these tests in order to earn a diploma on graduation day.
In the past, school administrators have said students were doing poorly on the tests because there were no consequences for failure.
This year, however, the exit exam is no longer a joke, and seniors must take them seriously. Seniors who have not passed the test by May will not graduate even if they have completed all their course work.
We think exit exams are a good idea. Students should not be able to graduate high school without having mastered a basic understanding of language and math.
And, the lesson in accountability that pass-or-fail tests provide is an important one that will serve this year’s seniors throughout their lives.
SBHS has implemented measures to ensure success. This year, the school required students who have not passed both exit exams to take summer school classes in the specific areas in which they struggled. Also, the school has changed its class schedule and is requiring students who have not yet passed both exit exams to take a seventh period class to prepare.
Now, it is time for the students and their parents to hold up their end of the bargain.
Seniors will have three opportunities to pass the tests before graduation. Parents of seniors who have yet to pass the test must tell their children how important a high school education and diploma is to succeed in this world.
They must make sure their children prepare for the test and take it seriously when test time comes.
Seniors also must realize that if they don’t succeed this year, all the time they invested in their education will come to nothing.
If they fail, they risk becoming the poster children on the importance of the exams for future SBHS classes.
