REVISED 12/07
Frequently
Asked Questions
(CAHSEE)
1. What is
"CAHSEE"?
"CAHSEE" refers to the
California High School Exit Exam.
2. Who must take the
CAHSEE?
Students graduating in 2006 and beyond
must take the exam.
3. Why do students
take the CAHSEE for the first time in grade 10 instead of grade 11 or 12?
Requiring the exam to be taken for the
first time in grade 10 provides students who are unsuccessful with additional
opportunities to pass the CAHSEE. It is also being used by
4. What about
students who are not fluent in English?
English learners are required to take the
CAHSEE in grade 10 with all students. These students must complete six months
of instruction in reading, writing, and comprehension in English during the
first 24 months of enrollment in the
5.
Will students with special needs have to take the CAHSEE?
Yes. Students with special needs must
pass the CAHSEE to receive a high school diploma and must be allowed to take
the CAHSEE with accommodations or modifications as specified in their
Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan for classroom or
statewide testing. Students who take the test using a modification will receive
an invalidated test score. However, if the invalidated test score is the
equivalent to a passing score(i.e.350 or higher), the district may submit a
waiver request on behalf of the student to waive the requirement of successful
passage of one or both parts of the CAHSEE to receive a diploma.
6. What if parents
do not want their student tested?
All students must pass the CAHSEE in
order to receive a high school diploma from a
7. Who decided what
the CAHSEE should cover?
A High School Exit Examination Standards
Panel, appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, reviewed
state content standards in English-language arts and mathematics and
recommended what they believed a student should know and be able to do to
graduate from high school.
8. What does the English-language arts part
of the CAHSEE cover?
The English-language arts part of the
CAHSEE addresses state content standards through grade 10. In reading, this
includes vocabulary, decoding, comprehension, and analysis of information and
literary texts. In writing, this covers writing strategies, applications, and
the conventions of standard
English (e.g., grammar, spelling, and punctuation). The English-Language Arts
portion of the exam is divided into two sections and is administered over two
days.
9. What does the
mathematics part of the CAHSEE cover?
The mathematics part of the CAHSEE
addresses state standards in grades 6, 7, and algebra 1. The exam includes
statistics, data analysis and probability, number sense, measurement and
geometry, mathematical reasoning, and algebra. Students also are asked to
demonstrate a strong foundation in computation and arithmetic, including
working with decimals, fractions, and percents. The Mathematics portion of the
exam is divided into two sections but is administered on the same day with a
break in between.
10. How can parents help
their student pass the test?
There are many resources on the CDE
(California Department of Education) website to assist teachers/students in
covering the required material such as released test questions, teacher guides,
and test blueprints. Visit the website at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/resources.asp
11. What happens if
students don’t pass the CAHSEE?
Students that do not pass one or both parts of the Cahsee in tenth grade will be required to do CAHSEE prep
courses. Students must attend the
following scheduled appointments: learning record meetings, CAHSEE Prep
tutoring sessions and CAHSEE classes, Special Education meetings and related
tutorials, and exam/testing sessions. There will be
additional opportunities in grades eleven and twelve to retake the part(s) not
passed. Students who desire to participate in the graduation ceremony must take
two out of the first three sessions of the CAHSEE (and pass the
test) during their senior year (unless exam has been passed).
12. If a student takes and
passes the high school exit exam, do they have to continue taking it each grade
until graduation?
No, as each part is passed, they are not
allowed to take each section over again. They have completed that requirement.
13. If the students takes
the CAHSEE and passes it with another school, do they have to take it and pass
it with an
No. They do not have to retake the test
if it has already been passed, although they are responsible to provide their
exam results to the IEM Assessment office. Please send a copy of their results
to: IEM, Assessment Dept, 1166 Broadway, Suite Q,
15. Can 9th grade students
take the exam?
No, it is not allowed.
16. Can a student choose
to leave the school after 12th grade, having met all other graduation
requirements, to return for one more opportunity to pass the exam? Procedure
for enrolling student for 1-2 days for CAHSEE:
*Procedure for enrolling/activating
previously enrolled 12th grade students short term in order to attempt CAHSEE*
: Parent/student needing this service calls Assessment Dept.
Assessment emails/calls CAHSEE Test Site Coordinator Assessment emails/calls
Student Assignment with student information and request to assign them to the
site coordinator(regardless of student count since it is very short term) Site
Coordinator prints out SA and Attendance rollsheet
for the student and brings with them to the test site Parent/student signs the
SA and attendance at the test site ES also creates a 1-2 day learning record
Site Coordinator mails in SA, attendance roll sheet (with a note stating that
this was a 1-2 day student activation for testing), and drop form(using drop code: 360 )