Recent idea_hsee items

ARE CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS READY FOR THE EXIT EXAM?

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

On April 21, 2005, UCLA’s Institute for Democracy and Access (IDEA) published a policy brief raising a series of questions about California’s readiness for the California Exit Exam (CAHSEE). The policy brief challenged the conclusion of the state’s independent evaluator, Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), that California schools have made great progress in providing all students with opportunities to learn the material covered on the Exit Exam. IDEA researchers Holme and Rogers concluded that HumRRO’s own “data reveals that many California schools still are not adequately preparing students for success on the CAHSEE.” In correspondence in early May, HumRRO’s President Lauress Wise argued that the IDEA researchers misunderstood HumRRO’s data. The differences between HumRRO and IDEA researchers are not merely academic. The questions raised are of critical importance to current policy discussions about the implementation of the Exit Exam. In an effort to inform this...

Policy Brief: A response to the HumRRO Evaluation

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

In 1999, the California Department of Education contracted with the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), an independent evaluation firm based in Alexandria, Virginia, to perform annual evaluations of the quality and impact of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). HumRRO’s Fall 2004 Report asserts that California’s high schools have made a great deal of progress in preparing students for the CAHSEE. It recommends that California deny diplomas to students in the Class of 2006 who do not pass the High School Exit Exam. Our review of HumRRO’s points to a number of problems with HumRRO’s analysis and conclusions. In fact, HumRRO’s data reveals that many California schools still are not adequately preparing students for success on the CAHSEE.

Policy Brief: High School Exit Exam Failure Rates and Opportunity to Learn

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

California has required students to take the High School Exit Exam since 2001. This exam assesses core academic skills in two areas: Mathematics and English Language Arts. To date, the results of the Exit Exam have been used as part of California’s accountability system. Current law calls for the state to withhold diplomas from students in the class of 2006 who do not pass either section of the Exit Exam. The law also states that it is the responsibility of school districts to “prepare pupils to succeed.”

MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS: CAHSEE Results, Opportunity to Learn, & the Class of 2006

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

California’s Class of 2006 is the first group of students required to pass the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) in order to receive a diploma. CAHSEE asks students to show what they know by answering 72 multiple-choice English-language arts questions, completing 1 writing task, and answering 80 multiple-choice questions in mathematics. Students who get 60% correct on the English test and 44% in math by the end of their senior year get diplomas. The rest do not, even if they have passed all of their classes.

Although 20 states currently have an exit exam requirement, most allow students to demonstrate their proficiency through other means (other standardized tests or assessments, course grades and passage, culminating projects, portfolios of work, etc.) if they fail the test. No students are granted diplomas unless they meet clear standards. Because California has only a single measure of student proficiency, it is one of only eight states that automatically...