High exit-exam pass rate for YHS

 

Lacey Rees - lrees@sierrastar.com

More than 90% of this year’s Yosemite High School juniors, last year’s sophomores, have passed the English portion of the mandated California High School Exit Exam, says Steve Raupp, YHS principal.

Furthermore, 76% have passed the math portion of the test.

“Our students have done very well on the [exit exam],” he continues. Now the school will be focusing a variety of resources on the students who must still pass the exam. Any of those in the class of 2004 who passed the test as freshmen do not have to take the test again.

The class of 2004, this year’s junior class, is the first required to pass the exit exam to graduate. This group of students started taking the test optionally in their freshman year, and has had several opportunities to test since then.

From now on students will start taking the test for the first time as sophomores.

A look at the scores for 2002 on the California Department of Education Web site are confusing because they do not reflect the students who passed the test the year before.

For example, at YHS, 284 freshmen took the English test in 2001 and 84% passed. Then in 2002, the same students, then sophomores, who did not pass as freshmen tested again. That year, 62 students took the English test and 57% passed. Hence, 90% have now passed.

On the math portion, 287 took the test in 2001 and 57% passed. In 2002, 125 took the math test and 46% of those passed, making the total pass rate 76%.