High school seniors across the state have taken the new high
school exit exam for the first time this year and about 20 percent
of them ““ nearly 100,000 ““ failed, according to a
report released last week by the Human Resources Research
Organization.
The exit exam is being required for the first time this year,
and supporters say it will create a more qualified graduating class
and identify at-risk students.
But others are concerned that it will leave many students
without a diploma next spring and in future years.
Vu Tran, the director of admissions at UCLA, said he does not
expect the exam to affect the university’s admissions.
The new exam, which has the potential to prevent some students
from graduating, will likely have very little effect on the
University of California due to the high academic level of most UC
admits, said Michelle Sassounian, the academic affairs commissioner
of the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
“Our university is pretty competitive. The exam is basic
and students at UCLA are, more often than not, on a more advanced
level,” Sassounian said.
Lauress Wise, president of the Human Resources Research
Organization, said the exam is actually more likely to benefit UC
admissions by improving the applicant pool.
“The (exam) will reduce the proportion of students that
would have to take remedial work upon entry in the university. It
will also increase the pool of qualified applicants that have
skills necessary for the university,” Wise said.
But where the impact will be felt directly is in California high
schools.
Students who do not pass the exam in time to graduate can take
classes at summer programs or community colleges, Wise said.
Raul Alvarez, who is part of La Fuerza Unida, a group lobbying
against the new requirement, said the exit exam will prevent many
students from receiving their diploma and may be detrimental to the
state’s school system.
“This is a segue to a crisis in the education
system,” he said.
Some of the criticisms of the exam are based on concerns that
some schools may lack the resources to prepare their students for
the exam, thus singling out certain students and preventing them
from graduating high school and moving on to higher education.
“The exam will be a disadvantage to students who are in
underserved areas in schools with teachers who are spread too thin
and are unable to teach students properly due to a lack of
resources,” Sassounian said.
Another concern is that students learning English will be more
likely to fail.
“The exam right now is unfair. Kids come to this country
speaking a different language and have to take (the exam) in
English and fail,” said John Marquez, another member of La
Fuerza Unida.
“Yet they would be able to pass it in their own
language.”
Even so, the Human Resources Research Organization, the group
contracted by the California Department of Education to evaluate
the exam, found some positive effects the exam has had for high
school students.
The exam has been tested on high school students, starting with
the class of 2004, and since then Wise said he has found that
retention rates have increased.
“(It) catches students who would have otherwise fallen
between the cracks. Students are now more likely to stay in
school,” Wise said.
“The drop-off rate has decreased since this has been
implemented, particularly between the 10th and 11th
grade.”
Wise said that one of the many outcomes of the exam is that it
identifies at-risk students.
“The benefit of the exam is there were 68,000 students
identified that hadn’t demonstrated mastery of basic math
skills by the end of their junior year,” he said.
“Before the (exam), they hadn’t been identified as
needing help and hadn’t been motivated to learn the necessary
skills.”
While assessing the students, Sassounian said the exam may also
assess the California school system.
“The exam is testing our school system and testing our
teachers to see if our state is up to par,” Sassounian
said.
“It is an invaluable tool to evaluate how their curriculum
is being absorbed by their students.”