Seniors in San Benito High School’s special education class and
others throughout California now have to pass the state’s exit exam
to get their high school diplomas, according to a law put into
place this year.
Seniors in San Benito High School’s special education class and others throughout California now have to pass the state’s exit exam to get their high school diplomas, according to a law put into place this year.
The 2007-08 school year is the first year this law has been put into effect. San Benito High School Director of Student Services Karen Schroder said it was supposed to start during the 2006-07 school year, but there was an exemption granted after Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley had won the right for avoiding the tests in court.
The lawsuit was filed in Alameda County Superior Court. On April 2, the court ruled against another exemption for the 2007-08 school year.
Schroder said students in special education classes who have not passed the exit exam will have one more chance in May. If a student doesn’t pass the exit exam, they will be given the choice to attend summer school, she said.
Students are given six chances to pass the state’s exit exam between their junior and senior years.
Schroder said 73 percent of special education students at San Benito High School have passed the exit exam. The school wants 100 percent to pass, but it has set a goal at 80 percent since it’s the first year, she said.
“It’s a reasonable goal,” Schroder said. “There will be students who have problems passing the exam.”
Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, is trying again to exempt the students as part of a bill in the Legislature.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
