California High School Exit Exam
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The Exit Exam Has Been the Subject of Controversy
The State Lowered the Passing Rate For This Year's Exit Exam Takers 
A Student Can Pass the Math Portion of the Exit Exam With A  Solid Foundation of Pre-Algebra 
A Peek at Sample Exam Questions
What's On The Exit Exam?
Who Takes the Exit Exam?
How Many Times May A Student Take The Exam?
Resources About the Exit Exam

The Exit Exam Has Been the Subject of Controversy
This year (2002) is the first year that it is mandatory for tenth grade students to take the Exit Exam.  This means that this year's tenth graders have to pass the Exam to get a high school diploma from a California public high school.  When these tenth graders graduate in 2004, they will be the first public high school graduation class to have fulfilled this mandatory requirement.

The Exit Exam has a Mathematics section and an English/Language Arts section.  Both sections have to be passed.

Much of the public controversy last year was over the difficulty of the Exit Exam and the fear that few California students would pass it.  It was well publicized that the math portion included Algebra questions and that this first group of Exit Exam takers had not been exposed to the new standards, textbooks, testing, etc.  

It was also well publicized that the English/Language Arts portion of the Exit Exam required good English language skills.  Proposition 227 (English immersion for non-English speaking children) had only recently passed, and many of those entering the ninth and tenth grade had been subject to the kind of bilingual education that did not prepare them to read and write successfully in English.  It was well publicized that younger students would benefit from the new English immersion programs and be prepared, but that current high school students would not be. 

If a district raised its academic standards in Mathematics and English/Language Arts when the new Content Standards were promulgated, which was during the 1997-98 school year, by the 2000-01 school year (when the first Exit Exam was to be given), the first kindergartners subject to the higher academic standards would only have reached the third grade!!

The State Lowered the Passing Rate For This Year's Exit Exam Takers

After some trial test takers did poorly, and following the publicity, the state withdrew some of the Algebra questions from the Exit Exam and decided to simply lower the percentage required for a passing grade.

This is all well documented, and one document that is worth perusing is the January 29, 2002 Independent Evaluation of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE): Analysis of the 2001 Administration.  Page 23 of the report states as follows:

The Final Decision

CDE [California Department of Education] staff reviewed the panel’s recommendations and discussed them with the superintendent. The superintendent stated that the recommendations of the standards-setting panel should be considered a long-term goal. She recommended that the provisional passing rates for initial implementation of the CAHSEE be somewhat more lenient. The specific recommendation, 60% of total possible points for ELA [English/Language Arts] and 55% for math, reflected the fact that the current content standards had not been in place when members of the Class of 2004 were developing requisite skills.  She also recommended that the State Board of Education should reexamine the test scores after students in the Class of 2004 are well into the 10th grade curriculum to determine whether students are passing in sufficient numbers to demonstrate that adequate opportunities to learn are being provided. On June 7, 2001 the SBE [State Board of Education] adopted the passing standards recommended by the superintendent.

A Student Can Pass the Math Portion of the Exit Exam With A Solid Foundation of Pre-Algebra

With all of the talk about Standards and Algebra on the Exit Exam, it is important to note that a student can pass the Exit Exam with a solid foundation of pre-Algebra, which means that he or she needs to know seventh grade math.   

Some of the material that is covered in the seventh grade Math Content Standards was previously taught in the eighth grade.  Since the standards are so new, some children will not be ready for this material in the seventh grade (their skills and knowledge will be below grade level).  Thus, some California children will do two years of pre-Algebra (as seventh and eighth graders).  These children will defer Algebra 1 to the ninth grade so they can have extra preparation.  None of this should matter to their passing the Exit Exam, because the first time they take the Exit Exam is in the tenth grade.

Immediately below is an "Item Map" from the Spring 2001 Exit Exam.  This chart shows what grade level Math Content Standards correspond with each Exit Exam question.  Out of the 60 math questions, four of the questions aligned with sixth grade math standards, forty-six aligned with seventh grade math standards, and the last nine questions, question 51 through 60 aligned with Algebra 1.

As the above chart indicates,  the Exit Exam is a minimal competency exam.  It is not really an end of high school test.  To pass, students need to answer at least 55% of the 60 questions correctly.  Since 55% of 60 is 33, students would have to answer at least 33 out of the 60 questions correctly, in order to pass the math portion of the Exit Exam.

The English/Language Arts portion is more difficult to evaluate in the same way as the math portion.  It does require a good command of the English language and an ability to read and comprehend written English.  A child who cannot read or comprehend English could not pass the exam.  Cramming or test preparation would not be effective.  

A Peek at Sample Exam Questions

The state has released Exit Exam questions, and these released questions are available on the state website.  These questions give a sense of what it would be like to take the Exit Exam.

What's On The Exit Exam?

The blueprint for the Exit Exam shows what Mathematics and English/Language Arts Content Standards are being tested.  The blueprint is available on the web.

Who Takes the Exit Exam?

Beginning with the 2004 high school graduation class, anyone who wants a public high school diploma in the State of California has to pass the Exit Exam.  It is a mandatory state requirement.  A high school district can have its own high school graduation requirements so long as passing the Exit Exam is among them.  

There are other ways to get the equivalent of a high school diploma, like a GED, but there is no way to get around the requirement of passing the Exit Exam for a public high school diploma.

Everyone takes it.  There are no exceptions.  Students with special needs may have their needs accommodated, but there no exceptions concerning passing.  The passing requirement applies to all students.  

Although ninth graders were given the opportunity to take the Exit Exam last year on a voluntary basis, as of 2002 students must be in the tenth grade to take the Exam for the first time.

How Many Times May A Student Take The Exam?

A student may take the Exit Exam once in grade ten, three times in grade eleven, three times in grade twelve and once after the graduation date.

Resources About the Exit Exam

Here are some resources from the California Department of Education website and EdSource about the Exit Exam: