California High School Exit Exam

California High School Exit Exam.
On Monday, March 21, 2005, The Sacramento Bee editorial writers take a position in favor of the California State High School Exit exams scheduled for implementation in 2006.

The role of these exams needs analysis.
The problem the exam seeks to address: There are a large number of students sitting in high school classes doing very little. This issue is one of effort.
This is not an issue for A.P. and college preparatory classes. These students will easily pass the exams.
The direction of the Jack O’Connel, State Superintendent and Education Trust/West is to insist on a more rigorous curriculum, commonly referred to as an A-G curriculum, that is a curriculum appropriate for admission to the University of California. This direction too needs analysis. (dear reader. Feel free to send me analytical pieces)

There is reason to be cautious, even skeptical of such reports. For numerous examples of past use of poor research and reports as ideological tools see the link below or http://www.asu.edu/educ/epsl/EPRU/bios/bracey.htm

The Bee editorial refers to a report “State High School Exams: A Maturing Reform,” by the Bill and Melinda Gates funded Center on Education Policy. (2004)
This report is one of series in favor of exit exams. Even from a position of support, the report is quite tentative. Among other things it says,

State High School Exams: A Maturing Reform, (2004) Center on Education Policy.
http://www.ctredpol.org/

"States Must Do More To Ensure Students Have Necessary Support
To Learn Subject Matter Tested on State High School Exit Exams

Large Gaps in Pass Rates Persist for At-Risk Students;
Alternative Routes To Diploma Widely Available But Largely Unused"

"WASHINGTON – August 18, 2004 – With high school exit exams now determining whether the majority of the nation’s public school students will graduate, states must do more to address achievement gaps for students most likely to fail. And with exam policies and student expectations more firmly in place, states have an opportunity and responsibility to give students a better chance to learn material being tested, according to a study released today by the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy (CEP).

The evidence on the effects of exit exams is mixed and tentative. With adequate
supports and the right policy context, exit exams probably have some
positive effects on student motivation and achievement and on curriculum
and instruction, at least for some groups of students. But there is also enough
evidence of negative effects of these exams, such as encouraging some students
to pursue a GED instead of a diploma, to suggest that policymakers are making
tradeoffs when they adopt exit exam requirements.

And, as to some of the effects:
Student Achievement and Motivation
_ With adequate supports and the right policy context, exit exams probably have
some positive effects on students’ motivation and achievement, although these
effects seem to differ for different groups of students. There is also enough evidence
of negative impacts, such as dampening some students’ motivation to try harder,
encouraging some students to pursue a GED instead of a diploma, and creating
incentives for educators to hold back students in non-tested grades, to suggest that
policymakers are making tradeoffs when they adopt exit exam requirements.

_ Recent reviews of research on exit exams and student achievement and recent
re-analyses of state and national test results have found some limited evidence
of a link between high-stakes testing policies and achievement gains on the
National Assessment of Educational Progress, although the data are not sufficient.

Do Exit Exams Affect Student Achievement?
While many critics and supporters of exit exams point to the body of research that
was conducted on the first wave of minimum competency tests (MCTs) in the
1980s to back the case for or against exit exams, the panelists cautioned that findings
from this work are not necessarily relevant to the new exit exam experience.
The older MCTs took place in a different reform context and are generally considered
to be less rigorous than those given by most states today.
Based on current research, panelists agreed that it is too early to determine the
overall impact of current exit exam policies on student achievement, but testing
is undoubtedly affecting high school education. At this point in the implementation
of exit exams, researchers do not know how these exams are affecting such
measures as adult literacy rates and success in postsecondary education, because

What Should We Tell Policymakers?
The panel came to several conclusions, both individually and as a whole, about the
messages that should be relayed to policymakers about high school exit exams and
student achievement.
Align exit exams with a cohesive system of standards and accountability
The panelists agreed that exit exams should be aligned with state standards and that
standards should be aligned with the curriculum. As one panelist summarized, “We keep
coming back to this notion that if you think of the state education system as a house, the
exit exam is the roof. You wouldn’t start building a house with the roof and building
your way down…well-designed systems are [making] and can make a difference.”
Be patient
Panel members agreed that policymakers should be patient if they want to see exit
exams produce results. Real change does not occur immediately after a policy is
put into place. Improved instruction and achievement take time. One panelist explained,
“Patience has to do with two things: (1) holding constant the fundamentals
of the program, and (2) making the program nimble enough to make minor changes
when it gets feedback from schools and districts.” In other words, policymakers
should keep expectations and policies in place long enough for change but should
be willing to make adjustments."


So, at present, California and other states are implementing a high school exit. A significant number of English Language learners and minorities may well be denied graduation- even though the research at present is tentative and inconclusive.
This is the kind of issue where editorial boards and others, particularly the Business Round Table love to make decisions about other people’s children.