There’s good news and bad news for San Benito High School
seniors who don’t pass the California High School Exit Exam
– they get to participate in graduationceremonies, but they
still don’t really get to graduate.
There’s good news and bad news for San Benito High School seniors who don’t pass the California High School Exit Exam – they get to participate in graduationceremonies, but they still don’t really get to graduate.
That is unless they pass the test on the last two test dates – one in May and one in July. The SBHS Board of Trustees decided it was unfair to stop students who hadn’t passed the test by graduation day from walking with their classmates – weeks before they’ll receive test results for the May test – because those students may have passed the test on their second-to-last try.
Let’s not forget the Exit Exam only tests students on the knowledge they should have gained as sophomores, and they’ve literally had more than a dozen chances, plus tutoring, over the last three years to pass the big test. In essence, the policy risks turning struggling students’ perception of the Exit Exam into a paper tiger – coddling them into believing the test doesn’t really matter until it’s too late.
The policy also sends the wrong message to students who are in danger of not graduating. Instead of saying take the test seriously or face serious consequences, it tells them it’s OK to wait until the very last minute to take responsibility for your own future.
Allowing these students to “graduate,” is unfair to their peers who have met the achievement threshold. It’s also unfair to the students who need to realize the Exit Exam is serious and the district means business when it comes to enforcing the state’s rule.
That said, the state has some culpability in the Exit Exam dilemma as well. Schools never should have been put in a position to make this decision and simply changing the second-to-last testing date to a time when results will be available before graduation day will solve the problem. But until the state makes the change, if it ever does, the district needs to take a disciplined approach – forcing students to wake up and realize what’s at risk. The district should be most concerned with students earning their diploma, not who gets to don a cap and gown for appearances sake on June 9.
Graduation shouldn’t be cheapened by allowing students who really haven’t earned a diploma yet to participate in the milestone event.
Pass or don’t walk. That should be the clear message.
