The Class of 2006 will be the first high school class in California that has to pass the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE)… or will they?

Last Wednesday, a lawsuit was filed in San Francisco Superior Court on behalf of 20 high school students and their parents seeking an injunction to delay implementation of the consequences of the exam.

The lawyers in this case picked at least one blockbuster plaintiff. Liliana Valenzuela has a 3.84 GPA and is #12 in her class at Richmond High School in the East Bay. However, she has not passed the English portion of the examination.

Testing advocates at this point must be asking, “What’s going on at Richmond High?” and opponents are probably saying, “Aha, this proves the test is a poor indicator!” My feeling is that this lawsuit won’t change any minds.

The CAHSEE contains two portions: English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. There’s more information at the California Department of Education website.

I checked in at my high school alma mater in Central California to see how they are responding to the CAHSEE. I found out that all students who fail to pass the test are scheduled for three periods of Math and two periods of English until they pass--no other classes. While I understand the need for focusing attention, it seems that locking them in a room with the subject may not be the most productive use of time. These kids probably weren’t excited about school to begin with.

This reaction to the test seems to give more incentive to drop out rather than incentive to pass the test. But then again, my hope for the education system is that it helps students engage in the world and learn to think. However, my fear is that most California high schools perform more of a custodial function. Hence, beating kids over the head until they pass the test.

I don’t want to present just my skewed view of testing. EdSource has prepared a fact sheet with the pros and cons of CAHSEE.