For the first time in San Benito High School’s history students
will be allowed to participate in the school’s graduation ceremony
even if they don’t receive a diploma.
Hollister – For the first time in San Benito High School’s history students will be allowed to participate in the school’s graduation ceremony even if they don’t receive a diploma.
A new requirement that students must pass the California High School Exit Exam in order to receive a diploma from the state prompted the school’s Board of Trustees to revise its policy on graduation. The board was concerned about the plight of students who had worked hard for four years and completed all of their course work, but had failed to pass the exit exam.
The Board of Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a new policy that will allow students who have completed all of their course work, but failed to pass the high-stakes California High School Exit Exam, to participate in the school’s May graduation ceremony. Such students won’t receive a high school diploma from the state, but will get a certificate.
The board’s decision was supported by students.
“I’m happy with the board’s decision – I think it’s fair,” said senior Stefany James, who serves as the students’ liaison to the board. “Not passing the exit exam doesn’t mean the student shouldn’t participate in graduation because some students just might not be good at taking tests.”
During discussions in September, the board had said the wording of the certificate would be a key issue in the policy. Several board members had objected to calling it a “certificate of completion” or a “certificate of proficiency,” because the students had neither completed the requirements for a diploma nor demonstrated proficiency. It will now be called a “certificate of completion of course and credit requirements.”
Finding the right wording for the certificate was important to make sure it reflected exactly what the student had accomplished, Board of Trustees member Evelyn Muro said Thursday. Creating an alternative to the high school diploma will give students the recognition they deserve without detracting from the school’s efforts to help all students pass the exit exam, according to Muro.
Previously the board had expressed concern that the alternative certificate might give some students the impression that passing the exit exam was not important. In order to make sure that doesn’t happen, Muro believes the policy will have to be re-examined in the future.
“We want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to make sure students are passing the exit exam,” she said. “However, we need to make sure we’re not creating two tracks for the students.”
In other words, the board will award as few of the alternative certificates as possible, Board member Bill Tiffany said.
“It’s not going to be the equivalent of a high school diploma,” Tiffany said. “Hopefully the number of students who don’t pass (the exit exam) will be very small.”
In order to make sure the new policy is effective, Tiffany said he would like the board to look carefully at the number of certificates that are awarded each year and make sure that everything possible is being done to help students pass the exam.
Principal Debbie Padilla suggested that the graduation ceremony make a distinction between those students who received a diploma and those who received the alternative certificate by putting an asterisk or similar symbol by the students name in the graduation program. Tiffany said he supported the idea.
The board’s decision to offer an alternative certificate was also aimed at preventing students who have failed the exit exam from becoming discouraged and dropping out of school, Superintendent Jean Burns Slater said.
Legislation requiring students to pass the exit exam was passed six years ago, but this year’s senior class will be first required to pass both the math and language arts portion of the exit exam in order to get a high school diploma. Exit exam legislation was designed to make sure all high school students meet a specific level of proficiency before graduating.
Seniors first took the exit exam in 10th grade, but many have yet to pass. Seniors have several more opportunities to take the test this year, but passage rates are low.
Of the 207 SBHS student in the class of 2006 who took the test again (as juniors) last year, only 67 students (33 percent) passed the language arts portion of the test, according to the latest figures available from the California Department of Education.
On the math portion, the passage rate was slightly lower with only 31 percent passing. Last month seniors had another opportunity to take the exit exam, but the results of which have not yet been released, making it unclear how many seniors still need to pass before graduation.
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or br******@fr***********.com.
