Jose Mier reporting from Sun Valley and our Sun Valley high schools can take pride in the fact that overall almost 70% of L.A. students passed both parts of the state-mandated exit exams.
Los Angeles schools revealed the results of the recent school year, state-mandated California High School Exit Exam. Of the students slated to graduate in this year, 69 percent (more than two thirds) of the class passed both the English language arts and the mathematics parts of the exam. Of the remaining 31 percent of the students (12th graders):.
– Fifteen percent (roughly 5,500 students) need to pass both the English language arts and the mathematics parts,.
– Ten percent (3,700) should pass the mathematics portion, and.
– Six percent (2,000) should pass the English language arts portion.
State law now requires all trainees to pass both parts of the exit test in order to finish from high school and receive a diploma. Los Angeles schools’ recent class was the very first graduating class which needed to pass both portions of the exam in order to graduate.
The excellent results of the testing is the direct outcome of focused instruction and successful intervention, and shows that every student can succeed with the exam. These extreme efforts on the part of Los Angeles schools instructors were specifically developed to assist students with coursework straight linked to the exit tests.
In the past school year, Los Angeles schools established intervention methods for students having problems passing the test. The strategies presented little learning communities and supported the core curriculum. Individualized mentor and finding out methods were developed for each trainee, such as an outreach program and intervention on a private basis. The Los Angeles schools further made attendance at exit test preparation classes compulsory for students who still needed to pass one or both test portions. These classes fulfilled beyond the regular school day and were supplied free of charge to the trainees through the district’s Beyond the Bell, a branch of Los Angeles schools that supervises all student extended day programs.
These combined efforts have actually had a considerable and direct effect upon the graduation rate at Los Angeles schools, as proven not only by the recent graduating class test outcomes but those for the the upcoming class. When this current class was in 10th grade, the students had a newbie pass rate of 60 percent in English language arts and 58 percent in mathematics. The following class, when in the 10th grade, went beyond these first-time pass outcomes by 66 percent in English language arts and 59 percent in mathematics– a substantial boost in scholastic accomplishment.
Jose Mier and the Sun Valley School Perspective
These outcomes plainly demonstrate that the dropout rate can be reversed, which is just one of the many student achievement objectives of Los Angeles schools. The district continues to aggressively focus upon the advancement of extensive curriculum for its senior and middle high schools. Los Angeles schools acknowledge and the exit examination results underscore the value of enhanced high school instruction, which can directly affect greater graduation rates and enable trainees to matriculate and move on to practical alternatives in their adult lives.
