Exit Exam: Subgroups Gain,
But More Progress Sought

SAN JOSE, CA – An analysis of the 2008-2009 California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) released on Wednesday shows Santa Clara County students continue to outperform their statewide counterparts, and reflects a continuing trend toward narrowing the achievement gap in the scores of student subgroups.

The analysis, by the staff of the Santa Clara County of Education, points out that the gap in the English Language Arts segment of the test between white and Hispanic subgroups has decreased 3 percentage points over the last five years; and the spread in mathematics between those two subgroups has decreased 7 percentage points.

“We’re not progressing as fast as we want in closing the gap—but we’re still making progress,” said Dr. Charles Weis, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools.

To help hasten the progress, a city-wide initiative is being launched this month. The initiative, SJ2020, is the joint vision of the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County Office of Education, the city’s most impacted school districts, charter schools, business and nonprofit community leaders. Led by Weis and San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, the goal of the initiative is to eliminate the achievement gap in San Jose by 2020.

Education leaders are committed to the exit exam, Weis said, because it directly involves the student in the drive to education accountability. “The exit exam is something students can point to that adds value to their diploma,” he said.

Weis praised local districts and schools who are taking advantage of resources offered by the county and state for remedial aid to students struggling with the exam. He cited e-class, an on-line learning program offered by a consortium of County Offices of Education, as an example of CAHSEE prep work that is widely available.

COE’s Analysis

Date last updated: September 2, 2009