Editorial: California failing its students with exam

Improving the quality of education in California is a noble
cause. But doing it at the cost of thousands of diplomas misses the
point.

The fact that about 47,000 high school students on the verge of
graduation have failed the California High School Exit Examination
and now may not receive their diplomas doesn’t necessarily
point to a failure by the students. Rather, it screams of a lack of
accountability in the state’s education system. And what
makes the situation worse is that the courts have been dangling
diplomas in front of these seniors, who have yet to know whether
they will officially graduate or not.

The state has been toying with the futures of these students for
the past two weeks. First, the Alameda County Superior Court ruled
May 12 that schools should not be allowed to deny students
diplomas, regardless of their test results.

There was a sigh of relief.

Then, Wednesday in a 4-3 decision, the California Superior Court
issued a stay on the test and overturned the previous ruling. The
case was then sent to the state’s Court of Appeal.

The problem is that the current system is not working, and the
ones being punished are the students. So as of today, 10 percent of
the state’s seniors are going to walk away without a high
school diploma.

The high school exit exam is supposed to test students’
competency in math and English, and guarantee schools are teaching
to meet certain standards.

It’s only fair to expect the state to hold its schools
accountable and provide adequate funding and tools to teach the
curriculum.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell
has promised to “not give up on the students who are still
struggling to pass.” But the options given to those who
haven’t passed are not very realistic.

In a district such as L.A. Unified, in which about 1,800
students have met all their graduation requirements except for the
test, students can either enroll in district tutoring sessions,
attend summer school, or go back for another year of high school.
None of these options seem practical, considering over 60 percent
of those failing are considered poor and would probably need to
work to make money. Therefore, it’s likely that a big group
of these students would opt out of taking these extra steps and
instead embark into the real world with an 8th-grade diploma.

The fact that a lot of students have passed all their classes
and are still unable to pass a proficiency test in 8th-grade math
and 10th-grade language skills speaks to the shortcomings of a
system that moves students through classes without making sure they
are learning the material.

According to the Los Angeles Times, out of the 46,700 seniors
who failed, 20,600 are said to have limited English skills and
28,300 are considered poor.

Are either of these traits for which students should be
punished? Or is it the state’s job to provide quality
education to all residents, regardless of zip code or skin color?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke in favor of the exam and
emphasized the test is necessary to make sure schools “are
living up to their responsibility.”

What he forgot is that on the way to reach those means, the only
ones suffering are the students who did not pass the test.

This board agrees the state’s education is in need of
standards and serious improvement. What our state needs is a way to
hold schools accountable for the curriculum they are expected to
teach, before it goes and tests students on them.

Until the state can find a way to improve California’s
education system, withholding diplomas won’t help anyone.