SANTA MONICA-MALIBU UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Maureen Bradford FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

310.450.8338, ext. 333 01 SEP 2009

INCREASE IN CAHSEE PASSAGE RATES FOR SMMUSD

The California Department of Education released today the 2009 results of the 10^th grade California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District reached an all-time high in 2009, with 92% of first time test takers passing the English Language Arts (ELA) exam, and 92% passing the mathematics portion of the test.

As seen below, SMMUSD continues to outpace the state and county in CAHSEE passage rates. Across the state, the percentage of 10^th graders passing the mathematics exam increased to 80%, a gain of two percentage points over 2008. SMMUSD gained one percentage point, posting a 92% passage rate. For English Language Arts, SMMUSD also reached an all-time high of 92%, while statewide the 2009 ELA passage rate remained flat at 79%.

Table 1. Percentage of 10^th Graders Passing CAHSEE Math Exam

	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
SMMUSD	89	88	89	90	91	92
LA County	68	68	70	70	74	77
Statewide	74	74	76	76	78	80

Table 2. Percentage of 10^th Graders Passing CAHSEE ELA Exam

	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
SMMUSD	91	89	90	90	91	92
LA County	70	72	74	73	76	77
Statewide	75	75	72	77	79	79

“It is rewarding to see continued progress toward our goal of a 100% passage rate for all 10^th graders,” remarked Tim Cuneo, SMMUSD Superintendent. “We are pleased to see so many of our students passing this exam on their first try and will continue to provide additional support and tutoring for students who need to re-take the exam in the 11^th or even 12^th grade. Each of the district’s high schools have CAHSEE tutoring programs in place and students will have several additional opportunities to re-take the CAHSEE in November, March, May, and/or July. We are determined to see that all of our students meet the CAHSEE requirement prior to their graduation date.”

Disaggregated CAHSEE data demonstrate a narrowing of the achievement gap in 10^th grade passage rates in math for several of the district’s numerically significant groups of students. Over the past five years, SMMUSD has narrowed the gap significantly for students of color, economically disadvantaged students, English learners, and students with disabilities.

Efforts to narrow the gap in ELA passage rates have yielded less dramatic results. There is still great concern over the ELA passage rates for African American students. Peggy Harris, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, commented, “It is unacceptable to us as a school district to see that approximately one quarter of 10^th grade African American students did not pass the English language arts section of the CAHSEE. It is deeply troubling to realize that this year’s passage rate is essentially the same as it was four years ago. The English language arts performance profile of our African American students reveals that there is still much work that must be done to ensure that all students leave our schools with strong literacy skills. We anticipate that newly adopted language arts materials and professional development associated with the adoption will provide teachers with additional tools for this critical work.”

Table 3. Grade 10 CAHSEE Math Passage Rates for Numerically Significant Groups

	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Gains 08-09	Gains 05-09
African American	68	76	72	73	80	+7	+12
Asian	97	100	97	97	96	-1	-1
Latino	75	78	78	82	89	+7	+14
White	97	96	98	98	95	-3	-2
Economically Disadvantaged	75	77	77	80	89	+9	+14
English Learner	68	66	69	70	80	+10	+12
Students with Disabilities	40	51	60	58	69	+11	+19

Table 4. Grade 10 CAHSEE ELA Passage Rates for Numerically Significant Groups

	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Gains 08-09	Gains 05-09
African American	77	81	75	73	74	+1	-3
Asian	99	89	95	93	95	+2	-4
Latino	78	80	79	84	86	+2	+8
White	97	96	97	97	97	0	0
Economically Disadvantaged	76	77	76	84	82	-2	+6
English Learner	62	62	69	60	68	+8	+6
Students with Disabilities	51	52	53	52	62	+10	+11

Background on CAHSEE

The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is an important component of both state and federal accountability for student achievement. In addition to the use of the CAHSEE as a graduation requirement, the 10^th grade CAHSEE results are used in calculating the Academic Performance Index for state accountability purposes and Adequate Yearly Progress to meet federal No Child Left Behind requirements.

The CAHSEE has two parts: English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The ELA portion addresses state content standards through grade ten. In reading, this includes vocabulary, decoding, comprehension, and analysis of information and literary texts. In writing, the exam covers writing strategies, applications, and the conventions of English (e.g. grammar, spelling, and punctuation). The mathematics portion of the CAHSEE addresses state standards in grades six and seven and Algebra I. The exam includes statistics, data analysis and probability, number sense, measurement and geometry, mathematical reasoning, and algebra. Students are also asked to demonstrate a strong foundation in computation and arithmetic, including working with decimals, fractions, and percents.

Students are afforded several opportunities to take the CAHSEE exams, beginning in their 10^th grade year. Students who do not pass as 10^th graders have two opportunities to re-take the exam in grade 11 and several more opportunities in grade 12. 12^th graders, who have not passed by their graduation date, are offered an additional exam in July and may continue to receive tutoring, support and opportunities to re-take the exam for up to two years beyond their graduation date.

As of 2006, all of California’s public high school students had to pass both portions of the CAHSEE in order to receive a high school diploma. While in 2006 and 2007 students with disabilities were granted an exemption from the CAHSEE requirement, in 2008 and 2009 this exemption was no longer available. Students with disabilities, based on their IEP provisions, have been afforded modifications or accommodations on the CAHSEE. Modifications, however, nullified a student’s score. Students who received a passing score using IEP prescribed modifications were provided with a waiver by the Board, and thus considered meeting the CAHSEE requirement.

For 2010, new legislation has lifted the CAHSEE graduation requirement for students with disabilities. All students, however, must still take the CAHSEE during their 10^th grade year for API and AYP accountability purposes.

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SANTA MONICA-MALIBU UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

1651 16^TH Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

ph: 310.450.8338; fax: 310.581.1138

www.smmusd.org