Students across the county and state continue to do better in
English than math on the California High School Exit Exam.
The state Department of Education released the California High
School Exit Exam, or CAHSEE, results for the 2002-03 school year
Friday, but most argue the numbers mean little since the students
who took the test last school year do not have to pass it to
graduate.
Students across the county and state continue to do better in English than math on the California High School Exit Exam.
The state Department of Education released the California High School Exit Exam, or CAHSEE, results for the 2002-03 school year Friday, but most argue the numbers mean little since the students who took the test last school year do not have to pass it to graduate.
What the passing rates can do is illustrate to educators what’s working and what’s not, as well as wake students and their parents up to the severity of the test, said Michael Robustelli, assistant superintendent of the San Benito High School District.
“It gives you an adequate reflection of work that needs to be done with the class of 2006,” he said. “It tells us the impact our curriculum is having and indicates where we have to go and what we have to do.”
In July, the California State Board of Education voted to delay the consequences of CAHSEE for two years until the class of 2006. Now, with pressure from politicians and educators who want to keep the test credible, it is unlikely another delay will occur.
“Most likely, they’ll (students) be accountable for this test. They need to take it early to get a baseline and work hard to move from there,” Robustelli said.
At SBHS, 41 percent of the students passed the math portion with 69 passing English. At Anzar High School, 43 percent passed math and 72 passed English. These numbers reflect first-time takers as well as students making second or third attempts to pass one or both portions of the exit exam.
For the state, 43 percent earned a passing grade in math and 66 in English.
While numbers across the state are moving higher, the percentages still fall short when all students need to pass the test in two years.
“We’re a long way away from having 100 percent of kids passing, especially in math,” Robustelli said.
One point educators are trying to drive home to students and parents is that the HSEE has been delayed, not canceled, Robustelli said. This is one test that students will see the effects of, as opposed to the STAR test.
When parents receive test scores in the mail about their children, they need to take them seriously. If a student is scoring in below basic, “the student has significant academic problems” that need to be remedied as soon as possible, Robustelli said, referring to the California Standards Test portion of the Standardized Testing and Reporting test. Parents receive individual student scores in the mail around July each year.
“It’s too big of a hurdle to wait until 12th grade to get serious about this test,” he said. “The report from the state indicates to parents as early as possible how their kids are doing in achieving the standards. The time to start is then.”
Overall, local schools will continue their efforts to tutor those who do not pass the test. Despite the budget cutbacks, educators see continued support from the state to keep up the programs.
The CAHSEE’s independent evaluator found that local efforts to provide students with instruction in the state’s academic content standards have increased. To assist local instruction activities, the California Department of Education will continue to provide a variety of resources, including teacher guides, released CAHSEE questions from prior test administrations, training materials and workshops.
Students who have already passed the exam but are not required to (classes of 2004 and 2005) will receive a certificate of accomplishment from the state.
More students pass English than math partly because the math portion is more rigorous than what has been expected of students in the past, Robustelli said. It used to be that knowing the basic calculations in math was enough to get adults by. Now, people are using numbers in a different way – requiring some level of algebra – partly because of the surge in technological jobs.
“Performance standards in math have been increasingly significant. Now, students have to have algebra to graduate (high school). Fifteen years ago, this wasn’t so,” Robustelli said.
To learn more about the CAHSEE, visit www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/cahsee/. To view the 2002-03 results, visit http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/.
