SACRAMENTO — Nearly 95 percent of students from the Class of 2011 met the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) requirement, and tests administered over the last school year also showed improvement among the state’s African American and Hispanic students, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced Wednesday.
From the Class of 2011, the percentage of African American students meeting the CAHSEE requirement was 90.9 percent compared to last year’s 89.6 percent; Hispanic students: 92.3 percent over last year’s 91.4 percent; Asian students: 97.7 percent over 97.4 percent; and white students: 98.4 percent over 98.1 percent.
The gap between Hispanic and white students has narrowed by 11.6 percentage points from the Class of 2006 to the Class of 2013. For the mathematics portion, the gap between Hispanic and white students has narrowed by 12 percentage points from the Class of 2006 to the Class of 2013.
Similarly, the gap between African American and white students has narrowed by 6.5 percentage points from the Class of 2006 to the Class of 2013 in ELA. And in mathematics, the gap between African American and white students has narrowed by 9.9 percentage points from the Class of 2006 to the Class of 2013.
African American students in the Class of 2011 display the largest increase in passing rates of 1.3 and 7.2 percentage points, respectively when compared to African American students in the Classes of 2010 and 2006 at the same point in time of their senior year.
“It is heartening to see that our students continue to learn and achieve despite the painful toll that budget cuts are taking on our schools,” Torlakson said. “The results of this year’s exit examination—and the progress schools are making to close the achievement gap—are yet another sign of the remarkable commitment that teachers, school employees, and administrators have to the students of California.”
The results are posted on the CDE Web site at California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Results.
Common Sense says
…but yet, aren’t we constantly told how the Sky will fall and “children will suffer” if we don’t pour gazillions more of our tax dollars into schools?
Lesson: It’s not how much money you spend, but how resourceful you are with it!