California Supreme Court Reinstates High School Exit Exam
Posted on: Friday, 2 June 2006, 21:00 CDT
By Becky Bartindale and Luis Zaragoza, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.
May 24--California's Supreme Court reinstated the high school exit exam as a diploma requirement today, less than two weeks after a lower court granted a reprieve to students who were struggling with the test.
The action dashes the diploma hopes of an estimated 47,000 seniors -- about 10 percent of the class of 2006 -- that have not yet passed the exam.
The class of 2006 is the first required to pass the basic test of math and English to qualify for a diploma. Students have been taking the test since 2001.
The action follows a flurry of legal moves set off by a lawsuit filed on behalf of students, Valenzuela vs. O'Connell. The lawsuit claims the exam is discriminatory because not all students have had access to the same quality of education.
Lawyers for the students earlier this month persuaded Alameda County Superior Court Judge Robert Freedman to drop the exam as a diploma requirement for one year.
State school officials responded with a request for an immediate stay -- which would restore the exam requirement by blocking Freedman's order -- along with appealing the ruling. Today's action granted the stay and sent the case to the state Court of Appeal for further action.
The exam is given over two days and consists of two portions: math through eighth grade and English through 10th grade. Students have several opportunities to pass the exam beginning in their sophomore year. If students pass one portion of the exam, they are allowed to retake just the portion they failed.
Students in the Class of 2006 with disabilities were given a reprieve from the test if they meet certain conditions, including taking the test three times and participating in remedial education to help them with the exam. The conditions were set in legislation adopted earlier this year, the result of a legal settlement.
Contact Becky Bartindale at bbartindale@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5459 or Luis Zaragoza at lzaragoza@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5803.
-----
Copyright (c) 2006, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.
Source: San Jose Mercury News
Related Articles
- Federal Court Dismisses Class Action Complaints Against Qualcomm
- Ill. Students Awarded Withheld Diplomas
- The Major Clinical Testing Companies Estimate the Annual Market for Their Services to Be More Than $40 Billion - 'Clinical Laboratory Testing Market Overview 2006'
- Experts Available to Discuss Majority of U.S. States Do Not Meet Federal Approval on Student Testing
- Program to Help College-Bound Students: Faith-Based Program 'Impact 360' Offers Classes and Service Projects
- Illinois Pupils Fall Short on National Science Exam: Students Below U.S. Level, but Stronger on Easier State Test
- TU Sets the Curve in Bar Exam: Of Students Taking the Test for the First Time, 97 Percent Pass.
- A Good Sine ; Figures Show More Black Students on Pace to Take High Math Classes
- New U.S. Student Test Scores Drive Comparisons With Other Countries
- Class Counsel Announce That Federal Court Certifies Class Action Lawsuit By African-American and Latino Employees Against FedEx Express
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds