Board Of Education Recommends Against Alternatives For Exit Exam

Sacramento, CA — The state Board of Education has voted against offering alternative assessments for students who fail to pass California´s high school exit exam.

The unanimous decision means that potentially tens of thousands of high school seniors who have been unable to pass the two-part test will not be allowed to graduate with their classmates.

This year´s senior class is the first required to pass the exit exam. The 1999 law that established the test said the Department of Education needed to study alternatives for students who were deemed “highly proficient” but still were unable to pass.

Board of education member Donald Fisher argued against other assessments, saying the English and math portions of the test measure basic skills that all potential high school graduates should possess.