Tuesday, November 18, 2008

By MICHELLE HATFIELD
mhatfield@modbee.com

last updated: September 10, 2008 04:29:02 AM

Passing rates among Northern San Joaquin Valley students taking the high school exit exam for the first time are holding steady in English and improving in math.

The passing rate for Stanislaus County sophomores in English has leveled off at 76 percent. But the rate of sophomores successful on the math portion has crept up from 74 percent four years ago to 77 percent in 2008, according to figures released Tuesday by the California Department of Education.

The English and math test is first offered to sophomores each spring. Started in 2001, the exit exam is composed of multiple choice questions and an essay. Students who fail both or one of the sections can retake those portions multiple times as juniors, seniors and up to two years after they graduate.

Students who don't pass the exam don't get a high-school diploma; instead, most high schools award certificates of completion to students who meet all other graduation requirements.

One in 10 of California's class of 2008 fell short on the exit exam by the time graduation ceremonies were held in May and June, according to Tuesday's news release. The rates for counties and individual schools were not available.

The math section of the exit exam tests state standards through algebra I (usually taken by ninth grade), while the English part covers up to 10th-grade language arts.

Some trends from Tuesday's figures:

In Stanislaus County, Waterford High School has the highest percentage of first-time test-takers (88 percent) passing English. The campus also is home to the highest pass rate on math (91 percent).

"We want to prepare students for (the exam) instead of remediate after they fail," Waterford High Principal Don Davis said.

To accomplish this, each grade is grouped into 30-minute homerooms each morning. Sophomores receive teaching on the exit exam's math and English. Other California schools have copied the strategy, Davis added.

Riverbank High School has boosted its pass rate on math to 75 percent from 61 percent in 2005.

Many high schools have been making slow gains over the past four years, but some are sliding. Johansen High School in east Modesto has fallen 10 points over that time period on the English test to 72 percent of sophomores passing.

Modesto City Schools officials are beefing up programs for students, from using consultants to signing students up for online tutorials. This year, they started a class called "algebra I for exit-exam takers" and are starting to develop preparation activities, said Larry Hines, director of assessment and evaluation.

Special education students continue to struggle on the exit exam, though they are allowed modifications based on their disability. In Stanislaus County, less than one-third of those sophomores passed the English or math portions -- between 45 and 48 percentage points lower than all sophomores. But only half of all special education students graduate from high school, noted State Superintendent Jack O'Connell.

Latinos and African-Americans also lag behind all sophomores. Latino 10th-graders in Stanislaus County are coming in six and seven percentage points lower in math and English, respectively; African-Americans 10 and nine percentage points lower in math and English, respectively.

Statewide, seniors passed the exit exam at a slightly lower rate than in the previous year, as the test was widely administered to special education students for the first time. The California Department of Education said about 90 percent of the graduating class of 2008 had passed the test by May. The previous year, 94 percent passed.

Bee staff writer Michelle Hatfield can be reached at mhatfield@modbee.com or 578-2339.

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