I’m interested to hear what all of you think about the Exit Test that takes effect this year for high school students. Every high school student this year will be required to pass this exit exam, which tests whether that student can demonstrate a ninth grade level of competence in core subject areas.

This legislature was passed and signed by Governor Davis in 1999, giving everyone 6-years to prepare for the exit exam. Its purpose is to make sure that high school students have a high school education before they graduate but according to Assemblyman Ray Haynes’ Monday Morning Memorandum, this week, “about 40 per cent of the high school students who are attempting to graduate this year have failed the exam.” I don’t know what all of your think, but I think this is a startling statistic!

I guess we’ll be hearing a lot about this in the news soon…since there have been recent efforts to change the law. However, according to Assemblyman Ray Haynes, some changes have already been made.

“…in 2000, the state started administering the test, and found that 80 per cent of the students could not pass it. That means, in 2000, four-fifths of the students who graduated from high school did not have a ninth grade education, according to the standards in place then. The Davis administration, and then-Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin, responded quickly by changing how the test was graded to make it easier to pass. In other words, instead of holding the education establishment responsible for their monumental failure, the state, through Davis and Eastin, made it easier to hide the failure. They then dumped billions of dollars more into the system.”

By now you must have seen the commercials on TV saying that the Governator has taken money away from the schools. These are what sparked my interest in education recently…and then I got the Monday Morning Memo about the Exit Test. I did some research and discovered that the Governor discussed his education plan in February with supporters saying, “”Money for education is important. That’s why my budget will increase education spending by almost $3 billion, an increase of $362 for every K-12 student. But if we just throw money at the schools and say our job is done then we are shortchanging the kids. We spend almost half the state budget on education and still many of our kids are below grade level or dropping out. To support the kids and the teachers, we need to do more.” I have to agree with that last statement.

According to http://www.governor.ca.gov,
Governor Schwarzenegger’s Year of Reform agenda includes proposals to:
* Reward outstanding teachers.
* Expand charter schools.
* Help failing schools by bringing in recovery teams.
* Let Californians see where the money goes in schools.
* And prepare students for careers through vocational education.

As with most political issues, I find myself trying to figure out who to believe. It seems that the Governor is spending money, not taking it away, but he’s dictating how it is spent. I can see how that would upset some people but it seems reasonable to me. With 40% of students not prepared to graduate, I know that something needs to be done…why not support his plan and see if it works?

What do you all think?