2005–06 Test Administrations
2005–06 Summary Results Released
On August 22, the California Department of Education (CDE) released summary results for the 2005–06 California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) administrations. Results at the school, district, county, and state levels are posted on the DataQuest Web page.
Calculator Use to Count for AYP Purposes
Recently, the United States Department of Education advised CDE that it would allow CDE, for adequate yearly progress (AYP) purposes, to count all students who used a calculator on the math portion of the CAHSEE as having participated and certain students as proficient. On August 21, 2006, a letter was sent from CDE to district testing coordinators to provide more detail about this change. This letter will be posted on the CAHSEE Web page. Questions about this change should be directed to the Academic Accountability Unit, at 916-319-0863.
For the purposes of individual student accountability, the use of a calculator is still considered a modification which results in a score that is not valid. Students with disabilities who take the CAHSEE using a modification and receive the equivalent of a passing score may still be eligible for a local waiver pursuant to Education Code Section 60851(c).
Final Data Correction Opportunity
The final window for making corrections to the 2005–06 CAHSEE demographic data opens on September 22 and closes on November 24. Corrections can be made on the Educational Testing Service (ETS) secure Web site (Outside Source). Questions about making demographic data corrections should be directed to ETS, at 800-241-5687.
Summary Results Assistance Packet Now Available
The CDE has released the CAHSEE assistance packet Explaining 2005–06 Summary Results to assist in navigating the CDE DataQuest Web site to access summary CAHSEE results and in understanding the online summary reports. This assistance packet is available on the CAHSEE Resources Web page.
2005–06 Apportionment Information Reports
In late August, the CAHSEE Apportionment Information Report for the 2005–06 school year will be mailed to county and district superintendents and charter school administrators. They are required to certify that the district has returned all secure test materials, certify the accuracy of the report, sign and date the report, and return it to the Standards and Assessment Division. Administration apportionments will be withheld from any school district that failed to return all of its secure test materials. The certified reports must be postmarked by December 31, 2006. Certified reports received after this date must be accompanied by a waiver request as provided by California Education Code Section 33050.
The CAHSEE apportionment is $3.00 for each student tested, regardless of whether the student took one or both sections (English-language arts and/or mathematics) of the CAHSEE. The CAHSEE apportionment for students not tested is $0.32 and applies only to the grade ten students who were absent during the census administration (February or March), and for whom demographic data were submitted.
Questions about CAHSEE apportionments should be directed to Camille Marzion, Analyst, CAHSEE Office, at 916-319-0357.
Special Education Exemption Reporting Requirements (Senate Bill 517)
Education Code Section 60852.3(a) requires all local educational agencies (LEAs) to grant a high school diploma to each student with disabilities who is scheduled to graduate from high school in 2006, has not passed the CAHSEE, has not been granted a local waiver of the CAHSEE requirement pursuant to Education Code Section 60851(c), and has met each of the seven criteria listed in Education Code Section 60852.3(a). LEAs must submit documentation of the failure to grant a high school diploma pursuant to this section to the State Board of Education (SBE) within 15 days of the determination that the student does not meet the criteria for the one-year exemption. CDE has developed a form that may be used to document a student’s eligibility for the one-year exemption. This form was e-mailed to district superintendents and test coordinators in June and is available on the CAHSEE Web page.
Education Code Section 60852.3(a) also requires LEAs to report to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction information pertaining to the exemptions provided pursuant to Education Code Section 60852.3, as well as the local waivers granted pursuant to Education Code Section 60851(c).
The deadlines for submitting the data regarding the exemptions and waivers were July 1 and July 31, respectively. LEAs that have not yet submitted these data should do so immediately. Questions about this data collection should be directed to Barbara Owens, Consultant, Assessment Data Management Office, at 916-319-0784.
2006–07 Resources
2006-07 Test Administration Workshops
In September, CDE and ETS will provide a series of workshops to prepare district testing coordinators for the 2006-07 administrations of the CAHSEE. The workshops will be held in the following locations:
September 12 – Sacramento
September 13 – San Jose
September 14 – Fresno
September 19 – Ontario
September 20 – Carlsbad
In September, ETS will mail the 2006-07 CAHSEE administration training DVD (video in VHS format available upon request) to district testing coordinators. ETS will contact district testing coordinators with further information about this mailing.
2006-07 CAHSEE Project Calendar and Scheduling Guidelines
Guidelines for scheduling CAHSEE administrations during the 2006-07 school year are available on the CAHSEE Web page. The guidelines address various topics, including the number of times students may take the exam per school year. The 2006-07 CAHSEE project calendar also serves as a resource for scheduling administrations. The project calendar contains ordering deadlines as well as the dates by which school districts can expect to receive their shipments of test materials and score reports. The project calendar is posted on the ETS Web site (Outside Source) under “Scheduling.”
Parent Notification Assistance Packet Now Available
Beginning in grade nine, students and their parents or guardians must receive written notice of the CAHSEE requirement from their school districts. This notice must be provided at the beginning of the school year. In June, the CDE released the CAHSEE assistance packet Notifying Parents and Guardians for the
2006–07 School Year to assist school districts in providing this notification. This assistance packet, which is posted on the CAHSEE Resources Web page, includes a sample notification flyer and suggestions for informing students and their parents or guardians about the CAHSEE. Later this month, a Spanish translation of the parent documents in this assistance packet will be posted on the CDE Web site.
Distribution of Study Guides
Earlier this month, copies of the CAHSEE study guides were shipped to school districts for this year’s grade ten students. As in previous years, there is a separate study guide for each portion of the CAHSEE: English-language arts and mathematics. A copy of each study guide is to be provided to each grade ten student in the school district. Extra study guides were included in each school district’s shipment. Below are suggested uses for these extra study guides:
- Provide to middle school and high school English-language arts and math teachers throughout the school district for instructional purposes.
- Provide to the school library for student checkout.
- Provide to adult students who have not taken, or taken and not passed, the CAHSEE.
- Provide to grade eleven and twelve students who have not yet passed the CAHSEE.
- Provide to grade nine students who may not be showing sufficient progress in the standards assessed on the CAHSEE.
Districts will not be charged for this shipment of study guides, but any additional copies of the study guides must be obtained by accessing them on the CAHSEE Web page. There are no significant differences between this year’s and last year’s editions of the study guides.
Upcoming North-South Meetings
The Standards and Assessment Division will provide an update on each of its testing programs at its annual North-South Meetings. The meetings will be held in Sacramento on October 10 and in Burbank on October 17. Further information about the North-South meetings will be sent to district test coordinators next month.
More Information
Additional information about the CAHSEE is available on the CAHSEE Web page. Questions about the CAHSEE can be directed to the CAHSEE Office, at 916-445-9449.
