Cal. Exit Exam Leads to More Dropouts

[Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>]

MORE DROPOUTS AFTER EXIT EXAM
Associated Press -- November 7, 2007
by Juliet Williams

Sacramento  - The number of California high school dropouts spiked in 
2006, the first year seniors were required to pass the state's exit exam 
to graduate, according to a report presented Wednesday to the state 
Board of Education.

California's high school graduation rate also fell by about 4 percent 
from the previous year.

The analysis found that 24,000 high school seniors dropped out in 2006, 
about 10,000 more than four years earlier.

The information could give ammunition to lawmakers and others who have 
criticized the exam, as well as those who have lobbied for alternative 
assessments.

The firm that prepared the report, Human Resources Research Organization 
of Alexandria, Va., made seven recommendations to the board, including a 
suggestion that California explore other ways for high school seniors to 
demonstrate proficiency.

In Massachusetts and Washington state, for example, students can be 
judged on a portfolio of their high school work.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell has consistently 
opposed such an option. His chief deputy, Gavin Payne, told the board 
that the superintendent thought all but one of the recommendations was 
"extremely good."

The report's findings validate the position of exit exam opponents who 
say the test is hardest on students who do not have access to good 
schools or good teachers, said Liz Guillen, director of legislative and 
community affairs for Public Advocates. That applies mostly to poor and 
minority students, she said.

The San Francisco-based law firm has sued the state over the exam and 
sought alternatives.

"As a moral and constitutional matter, before every student can be 
required to pass the state's new hurdle, the state and its schools must 
first ensure that ... all of those students have had an opportunity to 
learn what is tested," she told the board.