Chapman v. California Department of Education Threatened
to Delay Exit Exam for Students with Disabilities

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced that the State of California has agreed to a settlement in the case of Chapman, et al. v. the California Department of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the State Board of Education. The lawsuit sought to delay the consequences of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) for students with disabilities.

"This settlement is an important step to preserve the integrity of California's High School Exit Exam," O'Connell said. "The exit exam has focused our schools like never before on teaching to our world-class standards and students across the state are working harder, proving that when challenged, they will rise to meet our high expectations. However, we know that our standards-based education reforms take time to implement, particularly for students with disabilities. This settlement will allow a means for certain students with disabilities in the class of 2006 to receive a diploma, while giving our schools more time to provide them with the skills necessary to pass the CAHSEE."

The CAHSEE was created six years ago in legislation authored by then State Senator Jack O'Connell. The establishment of the Exit Exam was a key element in California's school accountability reforms. The goal of the exam was to bring increased meaning to the earning of a diploma in California and ensure that all students that graduated from a public high school in California had met at least a minimum academic standard.

The settlement is in effect for one year only, and applies only to students with disabilities who have been identified to be on a diploma track for graduation in 2006.  It will require the students to meet all local and state requirements for graduation; it also requires those students to take the CAHSEE several times and to take remediation courses to help them gain the skills measured by the CAHSEE. The school must notify the student or his parent of their legal right to remain in K-12 education until age 22. The state will seek legislation to create this procedure.

"It is the right decision to give our schools more time to prepare students with disabilities for the CAHSEE, but the time must not be unlimited," O'Connell said. "I continue to be concerned that permanently lowering our expectations for any group of children would consign those children to a lower quality education. I know with that with extra time and assistance special education students on a diploma track can and will achieve to our high expectations. With this settlement, I believe we can improve on a system that is already proving to be one of the most successful education reform movements in California's history."