Hollister
– Five San Benito High School seniors passed the May round of
testing for the California High School Exit Exam and will be able
to pick up their diplomas this summer while roughly 20 still have
to complete one or more portions of the test on top of any
remaining schoolwork they may have.
Hollister – Five San Benito High School seniors passed the May round of testing for the California High School Exit Exam and will be able to pick up their diplomas this summer while roughly 20 still have to complete one or more portions of the test on top of any remaining schoolwork they may have.
Director of Educational Services Cindy Cordova presented a report on the most recent CAHSEE figures available to the district at the Thursday night Board of Trustees meeting. Twenty-eight seniors who had not yet passed, and were not enrolled in a special education program, took the exam in May, and five of them successfully completed it. Around 20 students still need to pass one or both sections of the test, and may have additional schoolwork to complete. Special education students in the class of 2006 are exempt from the CAHSEE this year and have an additional year to pass it.
“Most of those students who didn’t pass the CAHSEE also did not pass some of their classes,” said Cordova. “So they still have work to do either way.”
Four students who took the exam had completed all of their graduation requirements save the CAHSEE, said Cordova, and three had completed the requirements for an adult school diploma from the district, which requires 50 fewer credits than the regular one.
Seniors who have not passed the CAHSEE will become part of SBHS’ Adult School program until they can complete their coursework and pass the exam.
In addition to seniors, 171 juniors who had not passed the exam took it as well and 44 of them passed. That means that 127 students will begin their senior year this fall having not passed the CAHSEE.
Generally, however, students seem to be improving as they become more used to the CAHSEE. During the 2005-2006 school year, 78 percent of students passed both the English and Math portions of the test, compared to a 77 percent pass rate for the English test and 73 percent pass rate for the math in the 2004-2005 school year.
“I think there’s always room for improvement,” Cordova said. “Many of our students are struggling with this and need help to keep up. Am I pleased? Yes, because our students are progressing, but there’s always room for improvement.”
The class of 2006 is the first required to pass the CAHSEE, which tests 8th-grade-level math and 10th-grade-level English. Students first take the exam their sophomore year and, should they fail one or both portions, have several opportunities to take the test throughout their junior and senior years.
The May testing date was the last opportunity SBHS seniors had to pass the exam before graduation, but seniors who completed their credit requirements were allowed to walk in the commencement ceremony, regardless of their CAHSEE status.
Cordova’s plan also detailed several points that the school is implementing and will begin utilizing this school year to improve student achievement on the CAHSEE. Cordova says the most important point includes getting all teachers on board with CAHSEE standards, regardless of what subject they teach.
“We’re going to be making sure that within our regular program, the CAHSEE standards are familiar and embedded in the regular curriculum,” she said. “Because it’s the high school exit exam, not just language arts and math.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
