CAHSEECalifornia High School Exit Exam

Chip MattEric Crystal

• Provides benchmark for minimal level of student achievement of basic skills

• Positive unintended consequence of MCT was that it did drive alignment of expectations, curriculum and textbooks through which curriculum was taught.

• Drove state boards to use scientific item analysis to determine cut off scores

• MCT can gain acceptance if test taker can understand and appreciate the utility of the test. Example – SAT, ACT, GED

• Mandated by state with out additional money to implement• Easier to mandate than to generate and implement.• Mandates drafted quickly with out much attention to existing

information• State used it as a way to demand accountability for what they were

funding, causing strife between teachers and state boards.• Translation of test scores into classroom use can be lacking

Minimum Competency TestsThe Good & The Bad

Assessment Background• 1999 – California Legislature set a graduation requirement for the Class of 2004 that they must pass a graduation exam in ELA and math

• After the 2002-2003 administration of the CASHEE , the California Legislature deferred the requirement until 2006.

• The Board called for an independent study

• Over 8 years The Board been able to gather and analyze information pertaining to test quality, test results, and other evaluation activities

Benefits

• Aligned State/ Local Curriculum = Focus• Addresses low proficiency standards• Demonstrate grade level competency

-reading, writing, math• Identifies students who are underperforming• Encourages districts to provide remediation• Two parts

-English-Language Arts, Mathematics

Key Findings – Test Quality• Modest improvements in alignment of CASHEE to

target specifications

• Overall alignment judged to be good.

• Few areas need attention to depth of knowledge and clarity of coverage of target standard

• Consistency with which essays were scored

somewhat improved

• Pass/fail decisions judged to be acceptable

• No problems observed with test administration,

however there were some suggestions for test

administrator training

Challenges

• High stakes test based on accountability

• Does not improve student achievement

• Decrease in curriculum choices

• Some students are denied diplomas

• English learners also have more difficulty meeting the CAHSEE

• Many students from the Classes of 2006 and 2007 who did not meet the CAHSEE requirement by the end of their senior year continued on for a fifth and, in some cases, a sixth year to master the required skills, meet the CAHSEE requirement, and receive a diploma. While many have not yet been successful, a significant number were.

• CAHSEE passing rates are increasing, but many students with disabilities and English learners are not meeting the CAHSEE requirement.

• Many low-income and minority students have difficulty passing the CAHSEE.

Key Points from Independent Study

Demographics• 2008: >90% of first time seniors met CAHSEE

requirement - 46,000 seniors did not

• IEP Students- 54.5 % passed - 17,000 did not

• ELL- 73.5%• Low Income- 85.5 %• African American- 80.5 %• Hispanic- 86.2 %• 24% Overall dropout rate for the 4 year period

-30%- Hispanic -42%- African American

Student Perspectives• The proportion of students who said that the CAHSEE was an important test for them remained high, (79%) and was even higher (about 85%), for students who did not pass one or both parts.

• The percentage of students saying that they did as well as they could on the CAHSEE increased for both ELA (89% to 90%) and mathematics (85% to 87%).

• The percentage of students saying that most or all of the topics on the CAHSEE were covered in their courses remained high, at 94 percent for the ELA test and 92 percent for the mathematics test.

•Students also said that the questions on the CAHSEE were of about the same difficulty as questions encountered in their courses (83% for ELA and 82% for mathematics).

References

Becker, D.E., Wise, L.L., & Watters, C. (Eds.) (2008) Independent evaluation of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE): 2008 evaluation report. Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/documents/cahsee08evalrpt.pdf

Performed by the Human Resources research organization, this annual report covers analyses of test results and other evaluation activities conducted through September 2008. Evaluation activities are reported under the following topics:

– Review of CAHSEE test quality (Chapter 2) – Results from test administrations through Spring 2008 (Chapter 3) – Student Perspectives on the CAHSEE (Chapter 4) – Information on students who did not pass (Chapter 5) – Trends in other indicators during the CAHSEE era (Chapter 6) – Plans for a 2009 Instruction Survey (Chapter 7)

The final chapter of this report includes both a summary of key findings and a number of general policy recommendations for further improving the CAHSEE and its use.

Greene, J.P. & Winters, M.A. (2004). Pushed up or pulled out? Exit exams and drop out rates in public high schools. Retrieved from http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_05.htm

Combining intellectual seriousness and practical wisdom with intelligent marketing and focused advocacy, the Manhattan Institute has achieved a reputation not only for effectiveness, but also for efficient use of its resources. Through a continuing emphasis on quality, we hope to sustain and augment our record of success.

References (continued)

Pipho, C. (2002) Seven lessons learned from minimum competency testing. Retrieved from http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/32/67/3267.doc

The Education Commission of the States Web site, www.ecs.org, features the nation's only comprehensive database of state education policy enactments by year and by policy issue; up-to-date information on more than 100 education policy topics, including summaries of and links to useful reports, studies and Web sites, and examples of innovative state policies and programs; and multi-state reports and databases that allow users to review and compare state policies on issues of top concern and interest.

Overview of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) (2010) http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/overview.asp.

The California Department of Education website is independently monitored and provides access to a vast number of state and federal documents.

References (continued)

Reardon, S.F., Atteberry, A., Arshan, N., & Kurlaender, M. (2009) Effects of the California High School Exit Exam on student persistence, achievement, and graduation. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/group/irepp/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php

The Institute for Research on Education Policy and Practice, based at Stanford University is a member of the Education Policy Alliance- a network of university-based research units that provide high quality research on significant education policy and practice issues.

Sullivan, K.J. (2009) In new study, high school exit exam gets failing grade. Stanford Report. Retrieved from http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/april22/california-exit-exam-042209.html