The CAHSEE, or California High School Exit Examination, was implemented in 1999 by state senator Jack O’Connell. The first group of students took the exam as Freshmen in 2001, with the passing of the exam being required for their 2004 graduation. Since the Freshmen were only selected on a volunteer basis, the graduation requirement was later waived for their group and did not officially go into effect until the class of 2006 approached their gradation date.
While the exam has raised a tremendous amount of controversy since its inception, it continues to raise issues with parents and politicians alike. Some of the primary issues regarding the fairness of the exam are in relation to students with disabilities or other learning impairments. While there are some accommodations in place for disabled or impaired students, previous attempts to allow these students another method of testing have all been denied. Questions have also arisen regarding the disparity between various cultural and ethnic backgrounds as well as family income levels of students taking the exam.
According to a study done in 2006, approximately 90% of high school seniors were allowed to graduate after having fulfilled all of the educational requirements and passed the CAHSEE. The remaining 10% of students were required to retake the exam until they were able to pass, sometimes requiring additional intensive study methods to aid in their successful completion of the test. In 2007, the passing rate increased slightly to 91%, still leaving nearly 9% of all students denied their diplomas because of their CAHSEE scores. These studies have also revealed the students being denied diplomas the most tend to come from lower income areas or belong to certain minority groups.
Educators hope to work towards increasing the overall pass rate for students taking the CAHSEE as well as attempting to bridge the gap between the groups of students who are more likely to do well on the exam and the students at greater risk to not pass. For even more information on the CAHSEE, check out the Ace Your Exit Exam CAHSEE blog.
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