December 1, 2006
Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces First Saturday
Administration of High School Exit Exam Starts This Weekend
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced that students will be taking the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) this Saturday — the first time the test has ever been offered on a weekend.
"I want students to have every opportunity to prepare for, take, and pass the High School Exit Exam," O'Connell said. "The exit exam is intended to ensure that every student who graduates from high school in California has at least a minimum level of skills and knowledge that will help them be successful in the competitive global economy of the 21st century. However, some students are already juggling work and family responsibilities while completing their high school education. I insisted that we offer the exit exam on a weekend so we can better accommodate these students."
O'Connell sponsored legislation in 2006 to fund the additional Saturday administration of the exit exam. The English-language arts portion of the test will be offered Saturday, December 2 at approximately 140 school districts around the state. The following Saturday, December 9, the mathematics portion of the exam will be offered.
Students who are in eleventh or twelfth grade, or adult students enrolled in a California public school are eligible to take the test during this weekend administration.
O'Connell wrote the High School Exit Exam law in 1999 as a state senator to ensure every student had the skills and knowledge necessary for meaningful work or college, as well as to raise expectations and results for all California schools and students. The law authorized the development of the CAHSEE that students in California public schools would have to pass, in addition to meeting all other state and local requirements in order to earn a high school diploma beginning with the class of 2006.