La Habra High School
GUIDANCE
CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAMINATION
2001-02
Questions and Answers for Parents/Guardians

What is the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE)?

State law (Senate Bill 2), passed in 1999, authorized the development of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) that students in California public schools will have to pass to receive a high school diploma, beginning with the graduating class of 2004.

What is the purpose of the CAHSEE?

The purpose of the CAHSEE is to improve student achievement in high school. It also is to help ensure that students who graduate from high school can demonstrate competency in state content standards for reading, writing, and mathematics.

Who must take the CAHSEE in spring 2002?

All students in grade 10 must take the CAHSEE in spring 2002, except those who took the exam in spring 2001 and passed both parts. All students in grade 9 may, but will not be required to, take the exam.

Why do students take the high school exit examination in grade 10 instead of grades 11 or 12?

Students must have many opportunities to meet the CAHSEE requirement for a high school diploma. Requiring the exam to be taken for the first time in grade 10 provides the opportunity for students who are unsuccessful to receive additional instruction and to retake the exam. Then these students must pass the CAHSEE in English to receive their high school diploma.

Must students who are not fluent in English take the CAHSEE in grade 10?

Passing the exam may be delayed for English learners up to 24 calendar months from enrollment in the California public school system. The students must complete six months of instruction in reading, writing, and comprehension in English during this period.

Must students with disabilities take the CAHSEE?

Students with disabilities must both take and pass the CAHSEE to receive their high school diploma. The CAHSEE may be given with appropriate accommodations, where necessary.

Will accommodations will be allowed?

Students with disabilities may take the CAHSEE with those accommodations that the students have regularly used during instruction and classroom assessments as delineated in the student’s individualized education program or 504 plan that are appropriate and necessary and that do not alter what is being tested. An appropriate testing accommodations is a change made to ensure that information is obtained on the construct assessed rather than on the student’s disability. Accommodations are made in order to provide a student equal access to learning and equal opportunity to demonstrate what is known. Accommodations must not alter the content of the test or provide inappropriate assistance to the student within the context of the test. All accommodations must be specifically listed in the student’s IEP or 504 plan.

Are there accommodations that are not allowed?

Yes. Those accommodations that will alter the content of the test or provide inappropriate assistance (to be determined by SBE).

Who makes the decision on what accommodations are allowed?

The IEP team or the 504 team shall make decisions on testing accommodations.

Who do I talk to about my student’s results?

Talk to your student’s English or mathematics teacher or the school counselor.

What if students do not take the test?

All students must pass the CAHSEE to receive a high school diploma from California public schools, beginning with the graduating class of 2004.

Can students and parents/guardians be allowed to see the CAHSEE before it is given?

Actual questions for spring 2002 will be seen only by the students when they take the examination. This security measure will ensure that the CAHSEE is fair for all students. Questions from the exam given in 2001 have been posted on the Internet at http:// www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/hsee/hsee.html. Teacher guides and addenda for English-language arts and mathematics also are available on the Internet to provide sample questions and other CAHSEE information.

What will the English-language arts test in 2002 cover?

The English-language arts part of the CAHSEE, given in spring 2002, will address state-adopted content standards through grade 10. The exam will consist of multiple-choice questions and two written essays. The reading section will cover vocabulary, informational reading, and literary reading. This section will include 50% literary tests and 50% informational texts. The texts will be grade appropriate and accessible to students in grade 10 who perform at a basic level. The writing section will cover writing strategies, applications, and conventions. The exam will also have one written response to literature or an informational passage and another written response to a writing prompt.

What will the mathematics part of the test in 2002 cover?

The mathematics part of the CAHSEE, to be given in spring 2002, will address state-adopted standards through algebra I. The exam will include statistics, data analysis and probability, number sense, measurement and geometry, mathematical reasoning, and algebra. Students also will be asked to demonstrate a strong foundation in arithmetic, including working with decimals, fractions, and percents. The mathematics exam will consist of all multiple-choice items.

How can schools best prepare students for the CAHSEE?

It is important that students take classes that include instruction in state content standards for Englishlanguage arts and mathematics. Students will need to use their knowledge of the content identified for the test.

How do parents/guardians find out if their student’s school uses the same or similar standards as state content standards?

Parents/guardians should ask their student’s teachers or principal if the school curriculum is aligned to state content standards in English-language arts and mathematics. Parents/guardians also should ask how teachers are helping students achieve these standards.

What if a student is absent on testing days?

Students will have multiple opportunities each school year after the initial exam in grade 10 to take the CAHSEE; therefore, students missing a testing date will wait until the next testing date to take the exam.
CAHSEE Testing Dates 2001-02
Section 1
English-Language Arts
Tuesday
March 5, 2002
May 7, 2002 		Section 2
English-Language Arts
Wednesday
March 6, 2002
May 8, 2002
Mathematics
Thursday
March 7, 2002
May 9, 2002

What will happen if a student doesn’t pass the CAHSEE?

Students will be able to retake the examination until the English-language arts and mathematics parts are passed, and they will retake only that part not passed. Districts and/or schools will provide additional instructions to assist students who do not pass the exam. Intervention programs, including summer school for students who do not pass the exam, will also be provided.

How can parents/guardians help their students do well on the CAHSEE?

Prior to testing each year, parents/guardians need to talk to their students about the CAHSEE and encourage them to do their best. Parents/guardians should:

How can parents/guardians and students find out more about the CAHSEE?

Each fall, parents/guardians and students are to receive information about the CAHSEE from their school district. More information about this exam is also available at each student’s school or the school district office.

2000-01

Attention Parents
Introducing California’s New Graduation Requirement…
The High School Exit Examination
New Standard for High School Graduates

Seniors in the class of 2004 will be the first California public school students who must pass a High School Exit Examination (HSEE) to receive a high school diploma. The purpose of the new graduation requirement, authorized by state law, is to:

The HSEE will be given for the first time in spring 2001 to students in grade 9, who may wish to volunteer. It will not be required. Beginning in 2001–02, students in grade 10 will be required to take the exam. Students will have opportunities each year to retake that part of the exam not passed. They are to be given special instruction if needed. This is a major addition to the district’s requirements for high school graduation. School staffs will be working closely with students and parents to help implement this change.

Questions and answers for Parents

What is the High School Exit Examination (HSEE)?

State law, passed in 1999, authorized the development of the High School Exit Examination (HSEE). Students in California public schools will have to pass this exam to receive a high school diploma, beginning with the graduating class of 2004.

Who must take the HSEE?

Beginning in spring 2001, ninth-grade students may, but will not be required to, take the exam. Beginning in 2001-02, all tenth-grade students will have to take the HSEE. Students in the graduating class of 2004 will have to pass all parts of the test to receive a diploma. Ninth graders who pass the test will not have to retake it.

What happens if tenth graders don’t pass the HSEE?

Requiring the exam at grade 10 will give students opportunities during the next two years to receive additional instruction and to retake the exam or either part not passed.

What about students who are not fluent in English?

If students do not have the needed English language skills to be tested, the district may have that student wait to take the HSEE. Testing may be delayed for up to 24 calendar months from enrollment in the California public school system, until the student has completed six months of instruction in reading, writing, and comprehension in English. The student must then pass the HSEE in English to receive their high school diploma.

Will special education students have to take the HSEE?

Yes. Special education students cannot receive their high school graduation diploma without passing the HSEE. The HSEE may be administered with appropriate accommodations as required in each student’s Individual Educational Plan (IEP).

What if parents do not want their student tested?

All students will be required to pass the HSEE to get a high school diploma from a California public school.

Who decides what the HSEE should cover?

A High School Exit Examination Standards Panel, appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, reviewed state standards in English-language arts and mathematics and recommended standards they felt students should master to graduate from high school. Questions for the HSEE, based on the selected standards, are being field tested to make sure they are of the highest quality. After field testing, the HSEE must be adopted by the State Board of Education in October 2000.

What will the reading and writing portion of the HSEE cover?

The proposed reading and writing portion addresses state standards through grade 10. In reading, this covers vocabulary, comprehension, and analysis of informational and literary texts. The writing portion covers writing strategies, applications, and the conventions of standard English.

What will the mathematics portion of the HSEE cover?

The proposed portion in mathematics addresses state standards through Algebra I. This will include fundamental skills in mathematics as well as Algebra I.

What can students do to prepare for the HSEE?

It will be important that students take classes that include instruction in state content standards for English-language arts and math.

How can parents help their students pass the test?

Parents should ask their student’s teachers or principal if the school’s curriculum is aligned to state content standards in English-language arts and mathematics. Parents will want to know

What will happen if students don't pass the HSEE?

Students will be able to retake the test until all the portions are passed. They will retake only those portions of the test not previously passed. Your district and/or school will provide additional instruction for students who need it. Summer school programs will also be provided.

How will parents and students find out more about the HSEE?

At the beginning of the 2000–01 school year, parents and students will be sent detailed information about the HSEE. More information also will be available at each student's school or the district office.