The High School Restructuring Task Force, urged the department to accept alternatives to the test this year
As many as 48,000 seniors could be denied a diploma this year because they have not yet passed the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE)."
An even bigger story is who's not passing the test," says CTA President Barbara E. Kerr. Twenty percent are African American, 18 percent are Latino, 19 percent are from low-income families and 31 percent are English language learners. "The large number of ELL students who have not passed the test is directly related to the fact that California is one of a handful of states that do not let them take it in their own language."
"As educators," she told State Council of Education members at the April meeting, "we can never expect less of these kids, but we also must make sure all students have an equal opportunity to learn and demonstrate their knowledge."
As a practical matter, Kerr is urging CTA members to make sure their districts have policy in place to allow students still awaiting test results to participate in graduation ceremonies. The decision is being left up to districts.
The exit exam, which tests English and math skills, has been administered to students since 2002, but the class of 2006 will be the first required to pass it in order to graduate.
While CTA supported its creation, "we also supported a provision in the legislation that would have allowed alternative criteria to be developed," says Kerr. "Under the current system, 20 percent of our senior students will not pass. What kind of message does that send to students who have been working hard?"
To date, only students with disabilities have been exempted from having to pass the exam this year, thanks to Senate Bill 517, emergency legislation sponsored by state Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) and supported by CTA. The bill followed a class-action lawsuit filed last summer on behalf of special education students. At the time, only a third of high school students with disabilities had passed the exit exam, even though they had succeeded in every other way.
Among the students who will be harmed by the implementation of the test are qualified students who have had trouble mastering writing in English. There have been numerous accounts of new arrivals to California who are bright, capable students with professional ambitions but who are not yet fluent in English. Other qualified students with poor test-taking abilities have also been unable to pass - even after taking the exam several times.
CTA was among dozens of organizations and individuals who testified on the matter during a Dec. 15 hearing before the California Department of Education. Kevin Colburn, a fifth-grade teacher who chairs CTA's Assessment and Testing Committee, and Curtis Washington, a high school teacher who chairs the High School Restructuring Task Force, urged the department to accept alternatives to the test this year.
The teachers noted that students have different learning styles. In addition, they said other states and countries that have implemented high-stakes tests have been forced to create alternative ways for students to demonstrate proficiency.
"We do not oppose assessment and accountability, but students must have alternatives that are both reasonable and defensible," testified Colburn.
On behalf of CTA, Colburn and Curtis made two short-term recommendations: that the state accept passing grades from all courses as a one-time option for students in the class of 2006; and that a statewide advisory workgroup be formed to investigate other appropriate criteria for graduation.
For the long term, CTA recommends that the state:
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Fund a study for the 2006-07 year to show credible evidence that all students taking the exit exam have had the opportunity to learn the information included on the test.
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Provide parallel forms of assessment that use multiple measures. For example, a student would be allowed to demonstrate knowledge through essays and personal communications.
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Allow students to demonstrate mastery of standards through a portfolio process guided by teachers.
Others recommending alternative assessments included Stanford University professor of education Linda Darling-Hammond. She observed that many states either test students in their native language or exempt them from standardized tests until they are English proficient. She also said virtually all states have developed alternative assessments for students with disabilities.
"California's current CAHSEE policy is out of step with policies in most other states that use exit exams," testified Darling-Hammond.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell's decision to move ahead with the exam prompted one group of parents and students to sue the state, claiming the exam is both illegal and discriminatory. Filed in San Francisco County Superior Court in February, the suit claims the state would violate the equal protection clause of the California Constitution if it fails to give diplomas to students who have satisfied all graduation requirements except the exit exam. Attorneys for the group are seeking an injunction to delay the consequences of the exam for students in this year's class. The lawsuit argues that the state has no compelling reason to deny students their diplomas and that doing so serves no public interest.
Failure to pass the California High School Exit Exam by the end of the school year does not shut the door on a student's chances for academic success.
Students may need to return to high school for another year or continue efforts to master the required skills through summer school attendance, independent study, adult education or community college.
The California Department of Education (CDE) has introduced a package of legislation to remove obstacles for students needing to continue their education within the public school system. Caps may need to be lifted for adult education and summer school, and other remedies, including the availability of Cal Grants, may be necessary to ensure a seamless transition to community college for students who have not passed the exit exam.
The state is also considering providing extra summer courses and additional administrations of the exit exam over the summer.
