Judge suspends high school exit exam

[The Straight Story]

Judge suspends high school exit exam
Posted 5/12/06

SACRAMENTO - An Alameda County Superior Court Judge is suspending California's high school exit exam for the class of 2006.

The decision potentially allows thousands of students who have failed the test to graduate will with their classmates and get their diploma.

Statistics show that over 10 percent, or 47,000 seniors, have not passed the exam.

Back in February, ten students and parents filed a lawsuit against the State Education Department because they said the test discriminates against the poor and English-learners.

This year's graduating class is the first one required to pass the exam to earn a diploma.

http://www.kget.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=F6A5B275-8DD7-4125-8B63-19A13B05C3C7

[msongs]

1. give em a diploma at birth and save the taxpayers trillions of $$

90% passed, a large proportion of the failures are people who will never earn a diploma under any circumstances,
using any language. or maybe they could have an exam everyone can pass, like, "what is your name"?

you only need a C MINUS average (70% average or less) to be president fer crummy sakes.

Msongs
www.msongs.com
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mugs and shirts

[Warpy]

2. While I agree in a large part

that no native born American should be allowed to graduate without passing it, I think common sense would make some allowance for foreign born students who have been in the country less than five years and who have managed passing grades in their classes even with the language difficulty.

If they're making passing grades, the format of the test may be to blame, not allowing ESL speakers enough time to complete it properly. Spot them a few points, make it fairer.

[coalition_unwilling]

3. It is inherently unfair and unjust to ask students who have

played "by the rules" for 12 years to have their diploma contingent on some test that really doesn't test anything worth testing.

Consider that a student could have made a 4.0 GPA and earned a 1600 on the SATs but if they failed the high school exit exam, they would not get a diploma. Under what standard of "justice" or "fairness" does that situation qualify?

[Warpy]

5. Test anxiety would preclude that 1600 on the SAT

as would an unfamiliarity with the language that slows a test taker down.

However, a general test would just be a fail safe to insure that the student hadn't just been passed along by a series of teachers who were just showing up until it's time for retirement.

I think we all met a few of those in school.

[EFerrari]

8. Um, the "FAILURE" here is the POS NCLB Act that went to

line the pockets of Bush cronies, not the kids left behind in public schools.

[longship]

4. The truth about the CA HS Exit Exam.

The exit exam is given, not to seniors, but sophomores.

In the district in which I taught, because of the exit exam mathematics requirement, all ninth graders are required to take an academic algebra class regardless of their previous math or their intentions of going to college. The algebra curriculum is aggressive and examinations are tough. The vast majority of 9th graders are ill prepared for this course. Even students with no other math experience were required to take the class. Many students did not even know basic arithmetic! The result, typical 9th grade algebra failure rate is about 75% or more.

I took upon myself to argue against these ridiculous policies, along with a couple of other math teachers. The answer was always the same, because of the exit exam required that students take a geometry class in their sophomore year, they had to take algebra in 9th grade. Of course, I pointed out that most of the students don't take geometry in the 10th grade anyway since they don't pass algebra. That didn't matter to them. It was the exit exam driving the curriculum instead of pedagogy.

Fucking amazing. NCLB is such a good idea, eh?

[caligirl]

6. Good points. One more here, my senior son scored

a 740 on the verbal portion of the SAT, a 720 on the SAT English lit subject test and is finishing up AP Enhglish with a B. His comments about the Exit exam were that the questions are poorly worded. They did not make it clear what is being asked for. He felt overall the test was easy, but questions were poorly phrased. This kid is an exceptionally good writer and reads all the time. He passed the first time. Another note about the Algebra is that algebra 1 was divided into 2 years. He took it over 8th and 9th grade. Meaning he had to be on track for this in 7th grade. A student not on track for Algebra in the eighth grade will not be on track for geometry by the 10th grade. I know I didn't take my first year of Algebra, back when it was a single year course, until the 10th grade, never took Geometry as it was an elective.

So while I am happy son passed easily, I can see good reason for the judges decision and I support it. We live in Alameda County.

[EFerrari]

9. Genius. And at that age, a failing grade translates into

a belief, i.e., "I'm no good at math".

My school had a similar program because there was some $ incentive from the county. I didn't find out until I went back to school at 28 that not only did I like math, I LOVED it. What a world.

[LibDemAlways]

10. My daughter will be an 8th grader next year. All 7th

graders were tested this year to determine which Algebra class they will take in 8th grade - a two semester course or a three semester course. The three semester course covers the same material, just at a slower pace. Therefore all students finish algebra by the middle of 9th grade.

I think this is batshit crazy. Back in my day, no one took algebra before high school and many took it in 10th grade. I went to a high school that was big on academics, too.

[Sgent]

7. These aren't graduation exams though (in a traditional sense)

(although they are required for graduation).

These are functional literacy exams -- requiring 8th grade proficiency at math and english.