As part of a statewide campaign to promote the importance of the
California High School Exit Exams, State Superintendent Jack
O’Connell will be speaking in Monterey next Wednesday for the
benefit of regional educators, students and parents.
As part of a statewide campaign to promote the importance of the California High School Exit Exams, State Superintendent Jack O’Connell will be speaking in Monterey next Wednesday for the benefit of regional educators, students and parents.
The Monterey visit will be the last of eight such meetings held throughout the state, from as far north as Sacramento and as far south as Los Angeles. O’Connell is hoping to promote increased awareness regarding not only how vital the exams are, but also what options are available for students who repeatedly fail the exam.
Early in the month, O’Connell announced that he would not endorse an alternative to the CAHSEE, after exploring various alternatives to the exams which were eventually deemed too inefficient, expensive or that they would defeat the purpose of an exit exam all together.
He did, however, recommend options for students who fail to complete the CAHSEE exams before graduation, such as summer school, a GED exam and CalGrants for students to take classes at the community college level to help them pass the exams.
In order to make such options more accessible to students, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger allotted an additional $4 billion on his proposed budget for the 2006-2007 fiscal year, with increased funding for remedial classes and programs to help students pass the CAHSEE.
Currently, students in special education programs are allotted one extra year to pass the exams and often are given accommodations while testing, such as an extended amount of time in which to take the exam.
Students in the class of 2006 have two more opportunities to pass the CAHSEE before graduation – first on Feb. 7 and 8, and then again on May 9 and 10.
