San Benito and Anzar strongest, MH covers middle ground, Gilroy
has problems
San Benito High School and Anzar High School exit-exam scores
are among the best in the area, according to recently released
state data. Live Oak High School fell somewhere in the middle and
Gilroy performed much worse.
SBHS has 89 students that have yet to pass the California High
School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), according to the last set of tests
conducted in September. That’s an 85 percent passing rate, which
was nearly achieved by Anzar High School with 83.3 percent. Those
results compare to 68 percent at Live Oak High School in Morgan
Hill, and about 35 percent at Gilroy High School.
San Benito and Anzar strongest, MH covers middle ground, Gilroy has problems
San Benito High School and Anzar High School exit-exam scores are among the best in the area, according to recently released state data. Live Oak High School fell somewhere in the middle and Gilroy performed much worse.
SBHS has 89 students that have yet to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), according to the last set of tests conducted in September. That’s an 85 percent passing rate, which was nearly achieved by Anzar High School with 83.3 percent. Those results compare to 68 percent at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, and about 35 percent at Gilroy High School.
The primary purpose of the exit exam is to standardize competency in public high schools in reading, writing and mathematics, according to the California Department of Education.
The CAHSEE identifies students who are not developing skills that are essential for entering the workforce and encourages districts to give these students the attention and resources needed to help them achieve these skills during their high school years. Beginning in the 2005-2006 school year, no student will receive a public high school diploma without passing the exit exam, as well as having met the district’s specific requirements for graduation.
The exit exam has two parts: English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics. In reading, this includes vocabulary, decoding, comprehension and analysis of information and literature. In writing, this covers writing strategies, applications, and grammar, spelling and punctuation.
The mathematics exam includes statistics, data analysis and probability, number sense, measurement and geometry, mathematical reasoning, and algebra. Students are also asked to demonstrate a strong foundation in computation and arithmetic, including working with decimals, fractions and percents.
Of the 576 seniors at SBHS that have taken the CAHSEE, 487 students have passed and the remaining 89 students are in either English or math tutoring classes, or both. That works out to 85 percent of the students having passed the exam so far.
According to Assistant Principal Duane Morgan, juniors and seniors last took the test on Sept. 13 and 14 but results were not readily available.
Gilroy High School District last took the CAHSEE exam in November and the results were released earlier this month. Gilroy’s district consists of Gilroy High School, Mount Madonna Continuation School and students on independent study.
Of the 309 students that took the mathematics portion of exam, 107 students passed the exam – 34.6 percent of the students, Gilroy High School Principal James Maxwell said.
Of the 118 seniors who took the test, 42 students passed – 35.6 percent. In the English language/arts test, 240 students took the exam and 80 passed; 103 of those students were seniors of which 28 passed.
Administrators at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill did not return phone calls, but the California Department of Education Web site indicates that the school last gave the test in September 2005. Of the 456 students tested, 313 passed, or 68 percent of the students. Of those 456 students, 138 were juniors and 51 of those students passed.
Anzar High School in San Juan was also contacted but did not return phone calls. The CDE site indicates that at last testing, 102 Anzar students took the exam and 85 passed, that is 83.3 percent. Of those 102 students, 11 were juniors and six passed.
Students can begin taking the test as sophomores. They have six tries to pass the exam by the end of the senior year. If students don’t pass the exam, they do not receive a diploma. Instead, at least at San Benito High, the students are still eligible for a Certificate of Equivalency that dictates that the student did everything necessary to graduate, but did not pass the exit exam.
Students who have not yet passed the exit exam are required to take English and/or math tutoring classes in order to pass the exam before they graduate.
At Gilroy High, intervention classes are divided into two groups, juniors and seniors, Maxwell said. the students who don’t pass the math portion are required to take additional math classes and the students who don’t pass the English portion are required to take another English course in addition to whatever English class they might be currently taking.
Since all high schools are required to administer the exam and all students required to pass it in order to qualify for a diploma, there is no other alternative. Students must pass the exam.
