Release: #06-93
August 22, 2006

Contact: Pam Slater
E-mail: communications@cde.ca.gov
Phone: 916-319-0818

Passing Rates on High School Exit Exam Continue to Rise

SACRAMENTO/SAN DIEGO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today released the results of the 2005-06 California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE).

Results from the exam, which was administered to last year's sophomores, juniors, and seniors, show steady improvement in the number of students in the classes of 2007 and 2008 who have met the CAHSEE requirement.

Since the class of 2007 initially took the CAHSEE as tenth graders in 2004-05, an estimated 89 percent have passed the English-language arts (ELA) portion of the CAHSEE, while an estimated 88 percent have passed the mathematics portion of the exam.

"I have always known that our students could rise to the challenge of higher expectations." O'Connell said. "I am proud of the ongoing rate of student success on the exit exam. The vast majority of the class of 2007 and the class of 2008 have already passed the exit exam and, at this pace, we are on track toward a passing rate greater than that of the class of 2006."

Passage of the CAHSEE, which assesses student mastery of state content standards in ELA and mathematics, became a California graduation requirement this year for all public school high school students.

The passing rates on each part of the exam for students in the class of 2007 at the end of their junior year have equaled or exceeded the passing rates of students in the class of 2006 at the same point in their education. At the end of their junior year, an estimated 88 percent of students in the class of 2006 had passed the ELA portion of the test and the estimated 87 percent had passed the math portion of the exam.           

The 2005-06 CAHSEE results also reveal good news for the class of 2008. At least three-fourths of participating tenth graders passed each part of the exam on their first attempt: 77 percent in ELA and 75 percent in mathematics. These scores show students in the class of 2008 performing better than their counterparts in the class of 2007 who, as tenth graders, passed at a rate of 76 percent in ELA and 74 percent in mathematics.

The estimated number of incoming seniors that have passed both portions of the CAHSEE requirement won't be known until October when an independent evaluator's annual report is due.

The results of the July administration of the CAHSEE will not be released until next month.

When analyzed by ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups, the CAHSEE data show nearly all subgroups of students are making positive gains in meeting the CAHSEE requirement. However, the first-time passing rates for Hispanic/Latino, African American, students with disabilities, and English learner students continue to lag behind the first-time passing rates for other subgroups. Hispanic/Latino, African American, and students with disabilities subgroups have shown improvement across the three classes with the class of 2008 showing higher percentages passing than in 2006 or 2007. But, the first-time passing rate for the English learner subgroup has dropped 4 percentage points on the ELA portion of the exam and 1 percentage point on the mathematics portion.

"The exit exam is designed to ensure that all students graduate with at least the basic level of knowledge and skills needed in the workplace and in life," O'Connell said. "The exam also shines a light on students who are struggling so they can get the targeted assistance they need to succeed. I am pleased that the majority of students are successfully passing the exam, but I remain troubled by the persistence of the achievement gap among several of our subgroups.

"That is why I am pleased we were able to secure significant additional funding in the state budget for the 2006-07 fiscal year that provides more than $275 million to focus assistance on middle and high school students. The budget also includes an additional $178 million for remediation services in grades seven through twelve. I expect all districts to use these funds wisely to help all our students master the skills measured by this exam."

The CAHSEE is only one of the many requirements in California public schools needed for graduation. School districts also impose local requirements that must be met before students are allowed to graduate.

Students are required to take the CAHSEE for the first time in the tenth grade. During the 2005-06 school year, more than 480,000 tenth graders took the CAHSEE. Students who do not pass the CAHSEE as tenth graders are given additional opportunities during high school to pass the exam.

This school year, twelfth grade students in the class of 2007 who have not yet passed will have up to three more opportunities to take the exam during their senior year. Nearly $70 million has been allocated in the state budget specifically to assist those students in the class of 2007 still struggling to pass the CAHSEE.

The California Department of Education (CDE) has provided every tenth grader with CAHSEE study guides and has released more than 300 questions from past CAHSEE administrations for teachers, students, and parents to review.

School, school district, county, and state level results for the CAHSEE have been posted on the CDE Web site at http://cahsee.cde.ca.gov/.

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Attachments

Table 1
Comparison of Passing Rates for First-Time Test Takers
in the Classes of 2006, 2007 and 2008
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ARTS

Demographic Subgroup	Class of 2006 Number Tested as 10th Graders	Class of 2006 Number Passed as 10th Graders	Class of 2006 Percent Passed as 10th Graders	Class of 2007 Number Tested as 10th Graders	Class of 2007 Number Passed as 10th Graders	Class of 2007 Percent Passed as 10th Graders	Class of 2008* Number Tested as 10th Graders	Class of 2008* Number Passed as 10th Graders	Class of 2008* Percent Passed as 10th Graders
All Students	448,005	334,617	75%	460,489	351,971	76%	483,626	372,607	77%
Female	220,499	174,131	79%	226,332	183,650	81%	237,040	193,500	82%
Male	227,999	160,724	70%	234,016	168,255	72%	246,413	179,011	73%
American Indian/Alaskan Native	4,082	2,996	73%	4,162	3,055	73%	4,394	3,386	77%
Asian	42,302	35,811	85%	42,485	36,455	86%	42,940	37,201	87%
Pacific Islander	3,032	2,158	71%	3,220	2,420	75%	3,372	2,545	75%
Filipino	13,256	11,557	87%	13,498	11,888	88%	14,088	12,539	89%
Hispanic/Latino	183,260	113,042	62%	191,434	124,700	65%	208,992	138,726	66%
African American	35,805	22,422	63%	38,105	24,570	64%	39,666	26,013	66%
White	162,818	143,949	88%	163,223	145,644	89%	165,499	148,653	90%
Economically Disadvantaged Students	180,642	108,473	60%	190,899	120,660	63%	207,271	134,615	65%
Non-Economically Disadvantaged Students	200,691	175,092	87%	212,480	187,336	88%	217,532	192,349	88%
Students Receiving Special Education Services	38,494	11,732	30%	39,735	13,037	33%	40,463	13,982	35%
English Only Students	277,584	226,410	82%	283,498	234,043	83%	289,219	240,816	83%
Initially-Fluent English Proficient (I-FEP)	39,822	33,706	85%	40,385	34,927	86%	42,540	37,171	87%
Reclassified-Fluent English Proficient (R-FEP)	48,439	41,993	87%	53,472	47,688	89%	71,149	63,518	89%
English Learner Students	81,027	31,757	39%	82,573	35,014	42%	79,035	30,056	38%

 

*Subgroup data are estimates; school districts have the opportunity to make demographic data corrections.

Note: The sum of demographic subgroup data may not equal the number of all students, due to invalid or blank responses received in these fields.

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Table 2
Comparison of Passing Rates for First-Time Test Takers
in the Classes of 2006, 2007 and 2008
MATHEMATICS

Demographic Subgroup	Class of 2006 Number Tested as 10th Graders	Class of 2006 Number Passed as 10th Graders	Class of 2006 Percent Passed as 10th Graders	Class of 2007 Number Tested as 10th Graders	Class of 2007 Number Passed as 10th Graders	Class of 2007 Percent Passed as 10th Graders	Class of 2008* Number Tested as 10th Graders	Class of 2008* Number Passed as 10th Graders	Class of 2008* Percent Passed as 10th Graders
All Students	446,264	328,866	74%	458,133	339,132	74%	481,892	363,704	75%
Female	220,162	163,806	74%	225,788	168,543	75%	236,823	180,189	76%
Male	226,569	165,247	73%	232,192	170,524	73%	244,893	183,427	75%
American Indian/Alaskan Native	4,017	2,778	69%	4,113	2,855	69%	4,373	3,182	73%
Asian	42,237	38,529	91%	42,342	38,819	92%	42,778	39,396	92%
Pacific Islander	3,028	2,155	71%	3,195	2,318	73%	3,351	2,461	73%
Filipino	13,248	11,514	87%	13,467	11,684	87%	14,050	12,383	88%
Hispanic/Latino	183,037	111,710	61%	190,746	118,610	62%	208,649	135,766	65%
African American	35,507	19,318	54%	37,822	20,754	55%	39,404	22,428	57%
White	161,699	140,287	87%	162,069	141,079	87%	164,609	144,724	88%
Economically Disadvantaged Students	180,079	109,209	61%	189,870	116,618	61%	206,502	133,037	64%
Non-Economically Disadvantaged Students	199,914	170,090	85%	211,403	180,698	85%	216,642	186,602	86%
Students Receiving Special Education Services	35,167	10,441	30%	37,081	11,227	30%	38,159	12,407	33%
English Only Students	275,823	215,424	78%	281,785	220,409	78%	287,941	228,629	79%
Initially-Fluent English Proficient (I-FEP)	39,760	32,575	82%	40,252	33,318	83%	42,491	35,931	85%
Reclassified-Fluent English Proficient (R-FEP)	48,696	40,338	83%	53,552	45,247	84%	71,390	60,901	85%
English Learner Students	80,909	39,789	49%	81,978	39,897	49%	78,390	37,275	48%

 

*Subgroup data are estimates; school districts have the opportunity to make demographic data corrections.

Note: The sum of demographic subgroup data may not equal the number of all students, due to invalid or blank responses received in these fields.

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Table 3
Estimated Cumulative Passing Rates for the Class of 2007
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ARTS

Demographic Subgroup	Estimated Enrollment*	Number Passed in Grade 10	Percent Passed in Grade 10	Number Passed in Grade 11**	Estimated Percent Passed in Grade 11	Estimated Number Passed by End of Grade 11	Estimated Percent Passed by End of Grade 11
All Students	459,424	351,971	77%	57,080	12%	409,051	89%
Female	228,936	183,650	80%	25,567	11%	209,217	91%
Male	230,302	168,255	73%	31,459	14%	199,714	87%
American Indian/Alaskan Native	4,137	3,055	74%	618	15%	3,673	89%
Asian	42,880	36,455	85%	3,774	9%	40,229	94%
Pacific Islander	3,287	2,420	74%	491	15%	2,911	89%
Filipino	13,892	11,888	86%	1,320	10%	13,208	95%
Hispanic/Latino	185,265	124,700	67%	28,443	15%	153,143	83%
African American	37,501	24,570	66%	6,674	18%	31,244	83%
White	167,115	145,644	87%	14,781	9%	160,425	96%
Economically Disadvantaged Students	182,937	120,660	66%	28,336	15%	148,996	81%
Non-Economically Disadvantaged Students	217,789	187,336	86%	20,195	9%	207,531	95%
Students Receiving Special Education Services	34,716	13,037	38%	6,559	19%	19,596	56%
English Only Students	287,519	234,043	81%	32,759	11%	266,802	93%
Initially-Fluent English Proficient (I-FEP)	40,940	34,927	85%	3,894	10%	38,821	95%
Reclassified-Fluent English Proficient (R-FEP)	54,875	47,688	87%	5,000	9%	52,688	96%
English Learner Students	74,979	35,014	47%	14,935	20%	49,949	67%

* Enrollment was estimated by summing (1) the number of grade ten students who passed this portion of the CAHSEE during the 2004-05 school year; (2) the number of grade eleven students who passed this portion during the 2005-06 school year; and (3) the number of grade eleven students who did not pass this portion during a spring 2006 administration.

** Subgroup data are estimates; school districts have the opportunity to make demographic data corrections.

Note: The sum of demographic subgroup data may not equal the number of all students, due to invalid or blank responses received in these fields.

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Table 4
Estimated Cumulative Passing Rates for the Class of 2007
MATHEMATICS

Demographic Subgroup	Estimated Enrollment*	Number Passed in Grade 10	Percent Passed in Grade 10	Number Passed in Grade 11**	Estimated Percent Passed in Grade 11	Estimated Number Passed by End of Grade 11	Estimated Percent Passed by End of Grade 11
All Students	450,838	339,132	75%	58,931	13%	398,063	88%
Female	223,021	168,543	76%	28,543	13%	197,086	88%
Male	227,628	170,524	75%	30,320	13%	200,844	88%
American Indian/Alaskan Native	3,977	2,855	72%	578	15%	3,433	86%
Asian	43,739	38,819	89%	3,440	8%	42,259	97%
Pacific Islander	3,199	2,318	72%	487	15%	2,805	88%
Filipino	13,784	11,684	85%	1,421	10%	13,105	95%
Hispanic/Latino	181,609	118,610	65%	30,227	17%	148,837	82%
African American	35,716	20,754	58%	6,522	18%	27,276	76%
White	164,279	141,079	86%	15,328	9%	156,407	95%
Economically Disadvantaged Students	179,151	116,618	65%	29,113	16%	145,731	81%
Non-Economically Disadvantaged Students	214,185	180,698	84%	20,999	10%	201,697	94%
Students Receiving Special Education Services	30,751	11,227	37%	5,352	17%	16,579	54%
English Only Students	280,497	220,409	79%	33,235	12%	253,644	90%
Initially-Fluent English Proficient (I-FEP)	40,341	33,318	83%	4,164	10%	37,482	93%
Reclassified-Fluent English Proficient (R-FEP)	54,761	45,247	83%	5,938	11%	51,185	93%
English Learner Students	74,204	39,897	54%	15,143	20%	55,040	74%

* Enrollment was estimated by summing (1) the number of grade ten students who passed this portion of the CAHSEE during the 2004-05 school year; (2) the number of grade eleven students who passed this portion during the 2005-06 school year; and (3) the number of grade eleven students who did not pass this portion during a spring 2006 administration.

** Subgroup data are estimates; school districts have the opportunity to make demographic data corrections.

Note: The sum of demographic subgroup data may not equal the number of all students, due to invalid or blank responses received in these fields.

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Table 5
Comparison of Estimated Cumulative Passing Rates
for the Classes of 2006 and 2007 by the end of Grade 11
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ARTS

Demographic Subgroup	Class of 2006 Estimated Enrollment	Class of 2006 Number Passed by the end of grade 11	Class of 2006 Percent Passed by the end of grade 11	Class of 2007 Estimated Enrollment	Class of 2007 Number Passed by the end of grade 11	Class of 2007 Percent Passed by the end of grade 11
All Students	449,788	396,422	88%	459,424	409,051	89%
Female	223,999	202,721	91%	228,936	209,217	91%
Male	225,947	193,903	86%	230,302	199,714	87%
American Indian/Alaskan Native	4,068	3,600	88%	4,137	3,673	89%
Asian	43,611	40,037	92%	42,880	40,229	94%
Pacific Islander	3,185	2,733	86%	3,287	2,911	89%
Filipino	13,789	13,043	95%	13,892	13,208	95%
Hispanic/Latino	177,822	144,042	81%	185,265	153,143	83%
African American	35,916	29,575	82%	37,501	31,244	83%
White	167,235	159,844	96%	167,115	160,425	96%
Economically Disadvantaged Students	174,034	139,165	80%	182,937	148,996	81%
Non-Economically Disadvantaged Students	208,281	196,731	94%	217,789	207,531	95%
Students Receiving Special Education Services	35,009	18,754	54%	34,716	19,596	56%
English Only Students	283,755	261,623	92%	287,519	266,802	93%
Initially-Fluent English Proficient (I-FEP)	40,647	38,187	94%	40,940	38,821	95%
Reclassified-Fluent English Proficient (R-FEP)	49,280	47,179	96%	54,875	52,688	96%
English Learner Students	75,002	48,481	65%	74,979	49,949	67%

* Enrollment was estimated by summing (1) the number of grade ten students who passed this portion of the CAHSEE during the 2004-05 school year; (2) the number of grade eleven students who passed this portion during the 2005-06 school year; and (3) the number of grade eleven students who did not pass this portion during a spring 2006 administration.

** Subgroup data are estimates; school districts have the opportunity to make demographic data corrections.

Note: The sum of demographic subgroup data may not equal the number of all students, due to invalid or blank responses received in these fields.

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Table 6
Comparison of Estimated Cumulative Passing Rates
for the Classes of 2006 and 2007 by the end of Grade 11
MATHEMATICS

Demographic Subgroup	Class of 2006 Estimated Enrollment*	Class of 2006 Number Passed by the end of grade 11**	Class of 2006 Percent Passed by the end of grade 11	Class of 2007 Estimated Enrollment*	Class of 2007 Number Passed by the end of grade 11**	Class of 2007 Percent Passed by the end of grade 11
All Students	445,932	390,080	87%	450,838	398,063	88%
Female	220,214	193,202	88%	223,021	197,086	88%
Male	225,790	197,007	87%	227,628	200,844	88%
American Indian/Alaskan Native	3,888	3,338	86%	3,977	3,433	86%
Asian	43,899	42,239	96%	43,739	42,259	97%
Pacific Islander	3,121	2,651	85%	3,199	2,805	88%
Filipino	13,801	12,976	94%	13,784	13,105	95%
Hispanic/Latino	177,325	143,296	81%	181,609	148,837	82%
African American	34,606	26,001	75%	35,716	27,276	76%
White	165,110	156,142	95%	164,279	156,407	95%
Economically Disadvantaged Students	173,134	139,217	80%	179,151	145,731	81%
Non-Economically Disadvantaged Students	205,907	191,740	93%	214,185	201,697	94%
Students Receiving Special Education Services	31,583	16,015	51%	30,751	16,579	54%
English Only Students	278,618	249,800	90%	280,497	253,644	90%
Initially-Fluent English Proficient (I-FEP)	40,346	37,127	92%	40,341	37,482	93%
Reclassified-Fluent English Proficient (R-FEP)	49,134	45,872	93%	54,761	51,185	93%
English Learner Students	76,747	56,372	73%	74,204	55,040	74%

* Enrollment was estimated by summing (1) the number of grade ten students who passed this portion of the CAHSEE during the 2004-05 school year; (2) the number of grade eleven students who passed this portion during the 2005-06 school year; and (3) the number of grade eleven students who did not pass this portion during a spring 2006 administration.

** Subgroup data are estimates; school districts have the opportunity to make demographic data corrections.

Note: The sum of demographic subgroup data may not equal the number of all students, due to invalid or blank responses received in these fields.

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California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE)
Summary of 2005-06 Test Results

Background

• State law authorized the development of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE), which students in California public schools would have to pass to earn a high school diploma beginning in the 2005-06 school year (class of 2006).
• The CAHSEE is designed to ensure that all high school graduates have achieved a solid foundation of knowledge and skills in English-language arts and mathematics, based on state-adopted content standards.
• All public high school students must take the CAHSEE for the first time in grade ten. Students who do not pass the CAHSEE in grade ten will have two opportunities in grade eleven and three opportunities in grade 12 to pass the exam.
• Students in the class of 2007 will have up to three opportunities in grade twelve to take the part(s) of the CAHSEE not yet passed.

Summary of State Cumulative Results for Grade Eleven Students (Class of 2007)

• Estimates of the number of students in the class of 2007 who have fully met the CAHSEE requirement (i.e., passed both parts of the exam) will be provided by the independent evaluator for the CAHSEE in its annual report to be delivered in October 2006.
• In the class of 2007, an estimated 89 percent of students have passed the English-language arts (ELA) part of the CAHSEE, which is a one percent higher rate as compared to Grade 11 students in the class of 2006.  
• In the class of 2007, an estimated 88 percent of students have passed the mathematics part of the CAHSEE, which is a one percent higher rate as compared to Grade 11 students in the class of 2006.
• On the English-language arts part of the CAHSEE, White students have the highest estimated cumulative passing rate (96 percent), and Hispanic/Latino and African American students have the lowest estimated cumulative passing rate (83 percent) by ethnicity.
• On the mathematics part of the CAHSEE, Asian students have the highest estimated cumulative passing rate (97 percent), and African American students have the lowest estimated cumulative passing rate (76 percent) by ethnicity.

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Comparison of State Passing Rates for Grade Eleven students in the Classes of 2006 and 2007

• Overall, the students in the class of 2007 have passed each portion of the exam at a higher rate by the end of grade 11 than students in the class of 2006 at the same point in their academic careers.
• In every demographic subgroup, grade 11 students in the class of 2007 performed as well or better on both parts of the exam than students in the class of 2006.
• The largest percentage gain between grade 11 students in the class of 2007 and grade 11 students in the class of 2006 was made by students receiving special education services (3 percent).

Summary of 2005-06 State Results for Grade Ten Students (Class of 2008)

• Nearly one-half million grade ten students took the CAHSEE (English-language arts and mathematics).
• Statewide, 77 percent of grade ten students passed the English-language arts part of the CAHSEE and 75 percent passed the mathematics part.
• Female students passed the English-language arts part of the CAHSEE at a higher rate than male students (females at 82 percent; males at 73 percent).
• Male and female students passed the mathematics part of the CAHSEE at about the same rate (females at 76 percent; males at 75 percent).
• On both parts of the CAHSEE, the passing rates of Asian, Filipino, and White students were higher than the state passing rate.
• On both parts of the CAHSEE, the passing rates of Hispanic/Latino and African American students were lower than the state passing rate.
• On both parts of the CAHSEE, the passing rates of economically disadvantaged students, students receiving special education services, and English learner students were lower than the state passing rate.
• African American students performed better in English-language arts than in mathematics (66 percent in English-language arts; 57 percent in mathematics).
• Hispanic/Latino students performed slightly higher in English-language arts than in mathematics (66 percent in English-language arts, 65 percent in mathematics).
• Students receiving special education services performed slightly better in English-language arts (35 percent) than in mathematics (33 percent).
• Economically disadvantaged students performed slightly higher in English-language arts (65 percent) than in mathematics (64 percent).

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Comparison of State Passing Rates for First-Time Test Takers in the Classes of 2007 and 2008

• Students in the class of 2007 took the CAHSEE for the first time as tenth graders in the 2004-05 school year; students in the class of 2008 took the CAHSEE for the first time as tenth graders in the 2005-06 school year.
• Overall, first-time test takers in the class of 2008 passed the mathematics part of the CAHSEE at a slightly higher rate (75 percent) as first-time test takers in the class of 2007 (74 percent).
• Overall, first-time test takers in the class of 2008 passed the English-language arts part of the CAHSEE at a slightly higher rate than first-time test takers in the class of 2007 (76 percent for the class of 2007; 77 percent for the class of 2008).
• With few exceptions, first-time test takers in the class of 2008 performed as well or better than students in the class of 2007 on both parts of the CAHSEE.
• English Learner students in the class of 2008 passed at a slightly lower rate (48 percent on mathematics and 38 percent on English-language arts) when compared to first-time test takers in the class of 2007 (49 percent on mathematics and 42 percent on English-language arts).
• Some of the most significant improvements between first-time test takers in the classes of 2007 and 2008 occurred on the Math part of the exam for the following demographic subgroups: American Indian/Alaska Native, economically disadvantaged students, and students receiving special education services.

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