LOS ANGELES — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced today that nearly half the students in the Class of 2006 who did not meet the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) requirement before the end of their traditional senior year have continued to work toward passing the test. Since May 2006, 4,797 additional students from the Class of 2006 have gone on to pass the exam. The cumulative CAHSEE passing rate for the Class of 2006 is now an estimated 92.3 percent.
"These results offer more evidence that our high school students are working hard to learn the essential communications and problem solving skills they will need to survive in today's competitive global economy," O'Connell said. "This is good news not only because those students now qualify for diplomas. It's good news because those students now have the foundation in reading and math they need to move forward in college or the workplace. I want to congratulate every one of those students for persisting and reaching this important goal. And I want to thank the dedicated teachers and staff who have been there for these students to provide academic assistance and encouragement along the way."
The CAHSEE results were analyzed by the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), the independent evaluator of the CAHSEE. The study found that statewide, 17,522 – or an estimated 45 percent – of students in the Class of 2006 who had not passed the exit exam by the end of their traditional senior year have returned to school to learn those essential skills they need to pass the Exit Exam and graduate. HumRRO estimates that approximately 85 percent of these students have reenrolled in high school, while 15 percent are enrolled in an adult education program.
O'Connell also announced today that a greater percentage of students in the Class of 2007 have passed the Exit Exam when compared to the Class of 2006 at the same point in time during their senior year. O'Connell also noted that test results show significant progress toward closing the achievement gap between students who are African American or Latino and those who are white or Asian.
For the Class of 2007, HumRRO found that as of February of this year, more than 390,697 students have passed both the English-language arts and mathematics portions of the CAHSEE, bringing the cumulative passing rate to an estimated 91.4 percent. This passage rate is 2.1 percentage points higher than the passage rate for the Class of 2006 at the same point in time last year.
"I am happy to report that intensive instruction and remediation is showing results for students most at risk for failing the exam," O'Connell said. "Nearly $70 million of state funding is targeted specifically to help those students succeed. Our efforts are paying off. We are making strides in narrowing the achievement gap."
Students in nearly every subgroup in the class of 2007 are passing the CAHSEE at a higher rate than their counterparts in the Class of 2006 did at the same point in time. For example, African American students in the Class of 2007 as of February increased their passage rate on the exam by 4.5 percentage points when compared to their counterparts in the Class of 2006 at the same point in time last year. Similarly, Hispanic students showed a gain of 3.4 percent. By comparison, the gain for white students was half of one percentage point, and 2.1 percentage points for the class as a whole. Among English learners, however, the gain was only 1.4 percentage points.
"Despite this positive progress, we must remain focused to help all students gain the critical skills measured by the Exit Exam," O'Connell said. "I remain deeply concerned about the progress of our English learners. While making gains, this group is still improving at a rate below that of most ethnic groups and of all students statewide. I also want to stress that the skills measured by the Exit Exam are the minimum skills we expect students to learn in order to receive a diploma.
"But the Exit Exam has been a driver of reform in our high schools by focusing on the need for all students to learn at least a basic level of knowledge and skills by the time they leave high school. The Exit Exam also helps us target assistance where it is needed, by shining a light on students who are struggling to learn those skills. I am convinced that with the continued hard work of our schools, teachers, and students, we'll continue to see improved passage rates on this critically important measurement of skills."
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Attachment
Tables 1 and 2 show estimated cumulative passing rates for the classes of 2007 and 2006, respectively, after including results from the July 2006 through February 2007 CAHSEE administrations.
Table 1
Estimated Number and Percentage of Students in the Class of 2007
Meeting the CAHSEE Requirement through February 20071
Subgroup |
Cumulative Through May 2006 Passed |
Cumulative Through May 2006 Percent Passed |
Cumulative Through February 20072 Passed |
Cumulative Through February 20072 Not Passed |
Cumulative Through February 20072 Percent Passed |
All Students |
368,146 |
86.1% |
390,697 |
36,930 |
91.4% |
Female |
185,348 |
86.7% |
197,778 |
17,064 |
92.1% |
Male |
180,871 |
85.4% |
191,976 |
19,843 |
90.6% |
Asian |
39,240 |
91.9% |
40,733 |
1,962 |
95.4% |
Hispanic |
129,537 |
78.4% |
141,939 |
23,261 |
85.9% |
African-American |
24,831 |
76.9% |
27,651 |
4,635 |
85.6% |
White, non Hispanic |
149,763 |
94.1% |
154,416 |
4,808 |
97.0% |
English Learner |
41,462 |
62.1% |
48,466 |
18,252 |
72.6% |
Economically Disadvantaged |
128,881 |
78.1% |
140,807 |
24,112 |
85.4% |
Special Education |
14,179 |
40.6% |
16,811 |
18,081 |
48.2% |
1 Students in special education programs who had not passed the CAHSEE were excluded from all rows of the table except the last row. Students in special education who had not passed the CAHSEE were allowed to meet the CAHSEE requirements in other ways.
2 Current grade 12 students who tested as grade 12 students in 2005-06 were excluded from this table.
Table 2
Estimated Number and Percentage of Students in the Class of 2006
Meeting the CAHSEE Requirement through February 20071
Subgroup |
Cumulative Through May 20062 Passed |
Cumulative Through May 20062 Percent Passed |
Cumulative Through February 2007 Passed |
Cumulative Through February 2007 Not Passed |
Cumulative Through February 2007 Not Tested3 |
Cumulative Through February 2007 Percent Passed |
All Students |
399,344 |
91.2% |
404,141 |
12,725 |
21,052 |
92.3% |
Female |
201,051 |
91.6% |
203,438 |
6,575 |
9,382 |
92.7% |
Male |
198,059 |
90.7% |
200,456 |
6,129 |
11,820 |
91.8% |
Asian |
41,787 |
95.3% |
42,191 |
1,000 |
677 |
96.2% |
Hispanic |
145,228 |
85.5% |
147,559 |
8,227 |
14,078 |
86.9% |
African-American |
28,188 |
83.7% |
28,781 |
1,801 |
3,078 |
85.5% |
White, non Hispanic |
160,214 |
97.3% |
161,368 |
1,108 |
2,145 |
98.0% |
English Learner |
53,851 |
76.0% |
55,118 |
5,809 |
9,913 |
77.8% |
Economically Disadvantaged |
140,049 |
85.7% |
142,057 |
7,305 |
13,989 |
87.0% |
Special Education |
19,017 |
47.8% |
19,292 |
2,826 |
17,689 |
48.5% |
1 Students in special education programs who had not passed the CAHSEE were excluded from all rows of the table except the last row. Students in special education who had not passed the CAHSEE were allowed to meet the CAHSEE requirements in other ways.
2 Source HumRRO Year 7 Annual Report (2005-06) [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/documents/indevalrptv106.pdf] Table 2.12, page 31 - (PDF; 4550KB; 210pp.)
3 Represents the number of students from the class of 2006 who have NOT yet tested in the 2006-07 school year.
Table 3 provides the HumRRO's best estimates of the percentage of students in the class of 2006 who have passed the CAHSEE through February 2006 and the class of 2007 who have passed the CAHSEE through February 2007.
Table 3
Estimated Cumulative Percentage of Students in the Classes of 2006 and 2007
Meeting the CAHSEE Requirement through February 2006 and 2007
by Subgroup1
Subgroup |
Percentage Passed as of February 20062
Class of 2006 |
Percentage Passed as of February 2007
Class of 2007 |
All Students |
89.3% |
91.4% |
Female |
89.7% |
92.1% |
Male |
88.8% |
90.6% |
Asian |
94.6% |
95.4% |
Hispanic |
82.5% |
85.9% |
African-American |
81.1% |
85.6% |
White, non Hispanic |
96.5% |
97.0% |
English Learner |
71.2% |
72.6% |
Economically Disadvantaged |
82.7% |
85.4% |
Special Education |
47.8%* |
48.2% |
1 Students in special education programs who had not passed the CAHSEE were excluded from all rows of the table except the last row. Students in special education who had not passed the CAHSEE were allowed to meet the CAHSEE requirements in other ways.
2 Source May 4, 2006 press release at Update on Number of Students Passing CAHSEE - Year 2006
* Special Education data are cumulative through May 2006. Data through February 2006 are not currently available. |
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