EASTIN RELEASES SPRING 2002 CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM RESULTS
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin today released results of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) given to tenth graders in March and May 2002.
Combined results of the CAHSEE administrations in the spring 2002 and spring 2001 administrations show that approximately 48 percent of students scheduled to graduate in 2004 have passed both parts of the CAHSEE. An estimated 64 percent have passed the English-language arts part, and 52 percent have passed the mathematics part.
“Unless the State Board of Education exercises its option to change the dates for high-stakes accountability, these students will be members of the first graduating class required to pass this test as a condition for receiving their high school diplomas,” said Eastin. “They are the pioneers who are paving the way for future graduating classes.”
Senate Bill 2 of 1999 was signed into state law to require that all students in California public schools pass the CAHSEE to receive a high school diploma, beginning with the class of 2004. The exam addresses the state academic content standards in English-language arts through grade 10 and mathematics through Algebra I. Questions for both parts of the CAHSEE are in a multiple-choice format; two written essays also are required for the English-language arts portion.
In the combined spring 2002 administrations, approximately 182,515 tenth graders took the English-language arts part of the CAHSEE and 54 percent passed. Of the approximately 248,328 tenth graders who took the mathematics part, 32 percent passed. Students taking the CAHSEE were in one of two categories: they either had not taken the CAHSEE voluntarily as ninth graders, or they had taken it but did not pass one or both parts.
“Although a large percentage of our students perform at or above state goals delineated by rigorous academic content standards, today’s results show there still are many students who need more assistance to meet the CAHSEE requirement,” Eastin said.
“More students appear to be mastering the English-language arts standards than those for mathematics. The lower passing rate for mathematics points to the need for additional remedial work focused on the mathematics content standards,” she said. “Keep in mind, it’s been only one year since Algebra I has been required to graduate from high school. Some students in the tenth grade have not yet taken the course.”
The California Department of Education (CDE) continues to provide a variety of resources to assist local preparation activities. These include teacher guides, released CAHSEE questions from prior test administrations, training materials, and workshops. All resources are available at the CAHSEE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/cahsee/.Failure to pass the CAHSEE in tenth grade does not mean a student will not graduate from high school. Students who do not pass the CAHSEE in tenth grade have seven additional opportunities to retake the exam. Only the part(s) not passed must be taken again. In addition, school districts are required by law to provide supplemental instruction aligned to state academic content standards for students who do not pass the exam.
A 2002 survey of school principals by the CAHSEE’s independent evaluator found that local preparation efforts for the CAHSEE have increased. A large percentage of the respondents noted that their districts have adopted state academic content standards and purchased textbooks and other supplemental materials that are aligned with those standards.
“Although the CAHSEE requires all students to achieve a state-established level of academic performance, it does not seem to be affecting the state’s dropout rate,” Eastin noted. “Students so far are choosing to stay in school and meet the challenge.”
A complete listing of CAHSEE results for both 2002 spring administrations by school, district, county, and state are available at <http://CAHSEE.cde.ca.gov>. For additional information, please contact the CDE’s CAHSEE Office at 916/445-9449.
CONTACT: Nicole Winger nwinger@cde.ca.gov Mary Lou Thomas mlthomas@cde.ca.gov (916) 319-0818 (916) 319-0111 FAX REL #02-30 September 30, 2002
Attachments (4)
[NOTE: For attachments, please go to: http://www.cde.ca.gov/news/releases2002/rel30.asp]
Note: Documents provided in Portable Document Format (PDF) require a PDF reader. Download Acrobat Reader.
Class of 2004, the first required to take test, has 7 more chances
Slightly more than half the state's 10th-graders failed the newly required "exit exam" and will have to try again if they hope to earn a diploma in 2004, according to results released Monday by the California Department of Education.
Of 431,000 sophomores who took the test last spring, only 48 percent were able to pass both the math and language arts portions. Some had taken the test voluntarily in 2001 when they were ninth-graders, and those results are included in the new figures.
Unless the pass rate rises to at least 90 percent, "it would be very difficult to fend off a legal challenge" to the test, said Reed Hastings, president of the state Board of Education.
Students in the class of 2004 are the first to face the denial of a high school diploma for failing to pass a test. That consequence could be delayed by the state Board of Education next summer after members see a comprehensive study of the exit exam.
Barring that, this year's sophomores "are the pioneers who are paving the way for future graduating classes," said state schools chief Delaine Eastin, who released the report.
Eastin said the annual dropout rate from grade 9 to 10 has held steady at about 5.5 percent for five years, suggesting that the new hurdle hasn't scared off many kids.
"Students so far are choosing to stay in school and meet the challenge," Eastin said.
MATERIAL NOT YET LEARNED
But the overall failure rate suggests that many students have not yet learned the material they are being tested on -- a powerful legal argument raised by critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, and expected to influence the state board's decision.
The most devastating failure rates are among disabled students (87 percent),
English learners (81 percent), black students (72 percent) and Latinos (70 percent).
The test, composed of language arts and math, is set at a 10th-grade level but includes algebra I, which many students have not yet studied.
Improbably, it was not algebra that stumped most kids in math, said Paul Warren, a deputy superintendent with the state.
"It was probability," he said, noting that the subject is supposed to be taught in middle school under California's new academic standards.
SEVEN MORE CHANCES
But the standards are only a few years old, and they are only now trickling into classroom practice, Warren said. Students will have seven more chances to take the test before graduation day, he said, and state law requires that they receive special help.
"A lot of kids went to summer school specifically for this, and they took the test right afterward," Warren said. "Those tests are being scored as we speak."
Hastings, the state board president, said it is too early to decide whether to delay the exam's consequences. He acknowledged that the low pass rate was because "many children, particularly children of color, were not getting the education they deserved."
However, "the test is forcing districts to spend money on these kids to get them at least to the level of the exit exam," he said.
Not all board members see the exam's good side.
"It's patently unfair to test kids on subjects they haven't been taught," said Susan Hammer, whose term on the board expires in January, months before a vote on the delay is due. Hammer said she has not yet decided whether to seek another term to the governor-appointed seat.
Meanwhile, Gov. Gray Davis has touted the exam in his re-election campaign and regards it as a cornerstone of his educational achievements.
But others are critical of the exam.
TEACHERS UNIONS OPPOSED
Leaders of the teachers unions are adamantly opposed to the exam, as are groups representing the minority students with the lowest pass rates.
"The idea that getting a diploma depends on whether you pass a particular test on this one day is a flawed philosophy," said Wayne Johnson, president of the California Teachers Association. "These kids need all kinds of special help, such as tutoring, smaller classes and more experienced teachers."
Johnson said many districts could not afford to give the special help that state law requires of them.
Lawyers representing other student groups also expressed strong opposition.
"The state should not be permitted to deny diplomas until it has provided all students with the opportunity to pass the exam," said John Affeldt, an attorney with Public Advocates Inc., a San Francisco law firm that, with the ACLU, is suing the state on behalf of low-income students they say are relegated to substandard schools.
Attorney Sid Wolinsky of Disability Rights Inc. in Oakland is suing the state on behalf of disabled students who will be unfairly denied diplomas, he said, because the state has imposed hurdles many could never leap over. His suit is asking for an alternative exam for disabled students.
He called the 12.8 percent pass rate among disabled students "an educational tragedy for California that inflicts grave harm on our most vulnerable children."
California High School Exit Examination Demographic Summary for All Students Tested - State Report English-Language Arts (Combined 2002) File Date: 9/5/2002 Number of Students Tested: 182,515 Number Percent Mean Number Number Percent Not Not Scaled Tested Passed Passed Passed Passed Score All Students Tested (Average) 182,515 98,036 54% 84,479 46% 355 Grade Tenth 180,261 96,942 54% 83,319 46% 355 Eleventh 1,353 642 47% 711 53% 349 Twelfth 121 50 41% 71 59% 341 Adult ed. 329 204 62% 125 38% 359 Unknown 451 198 44% 253 56% 343 Gender Male 102,727 51,457 50% 51,270 50% 351 Female 79,125 46,291 59% 32,834 41% 360 Unknown 663 288 43% 375 57% 343 Race/Ethnicity American Indian or 1,719 911 53% 808 47% 354 Alaska Native Asian 13,459 8,010 60% 5,449 40% 363 Pacific Islander 1,369 750 55% 619 45% 355 Filipino 3,979 2,802 70% 1,177 30% 368 Hispanic or Latino 87,398 36,648 42% 50,750 58% 344 African American # 17,685 8,156 46% 9,529 54% 347 White# 52,072 38,450 74% 13,622 26% 374 Unknown 4,834 2,309 48% 2,525 52% 350 Language Fluency English Only Students 103,110 65,556 64% 37,554 36% 364 Initially Fluent English 12,583 7,876 63% 4,707 37% 361 Proficient (IFEP) Redesignated Fluent English 14,658 9,725 66% 4,933 34% 361 Proficient (RFEP) English Learner Students 49,018 13,495 28% 35,523 72% 334 Unknown 3,146 1,384 44% 1,762 56% 346 Economic Status Non-Economically 101,632 65,303 64% 36,329 36% 365 Disadvantaged Students Economically 74,327 29,680 40% 44,647 60% 343 Disadvantaged Students Unknown 6,556 3,053 47% 3,503 53% 350 Special Education Program Participation Students Receiving Services 26,967 6,658 25% 20,309 75% 331 Students Not Receiving 155,548 91,378 59% 64,170 41% 359 Services # Not of Hispanic origin * Each student essay receives two scores that range from 1 (lowest) to 4 (highest) or non-scorable (NS). The average of these two scores is listed above. The Writing Applications score counts as 30% of the Total English-Language Arts score -- To protect privacy, no results for any group with 10 or fewer students will be released. You may obtain copies of selected test questions at your school site or at the following Web site: http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/cahsee/resources.html ________________________________________________________________________________________________ California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Results for Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) by Program (Combined 2002) State Report * To protect privacy, asterisks appear in place of test scores wherever those scores are based on 10 or fewer students. Redesignated Fluent- Special English English Socio- Not socio- All Education Learner (EL) Proficient economically economically Subject Students Students Students (FEP) Students Disadvantaged Disadvantaged Statewide: # Tested Math 248,328 27,423 55,959 23,637 96,486 143,653 Passing 80,380(32%) 3,095(11%) 9,833(18%) 8,163(35%) 21,239(22%) 57,101(40%) # Tested ELA 182,515 26,967 49,018 14,658 74,327 101,632 Passing 98,036(54%) 6,658(25%) 13,495(28%) 9,725(66%) 29,680(40%) 65,303(64%) source: http://cahsee.cde.ca.gov/2002/ExitProg1.asp?cYear=2001-02&cChoice=ExitProg1&cAdmin=C&tDate=000000&Pageno=1
|
If you have come to this page from an outside location click here to get back to mindfully.org |