By Sharee Lopez, May 5, 2012
Sharee Lopez is a fellow with New America Media’s Youth Education Fellowship. The fellowship is a six-month long program for youth reporters aged 16-24 on education reporting. It is sponsored by the California Education Policy Fund.
Two years ago, when I first attended Long Beach City College, I remember I was one of the newly high school graduates standing in line at the library, waiting nervously for my turn to take the assessment test—a test described by the counselors as ‘life changing’.
Two years ago, when I first attended Long Beach City College, I remember I was one of the newly high school graduates standing in line at the library, waiting nervously for my turn to take the assessment test—a test described by the counselors as ‘life changing’.
It could be life changing because a student’s performance on that test would determine how many remedial courses he or she need to take in math, writing and reading. As remedial courses receive no credit, a student can end up staying in community college longer than expected, missing out on transfer opportunities, and spending more money.
When I reached the front of the line, an woman said to me, “ First and last name?” “Sharee Lopez,” I replied quickly. In a demanding tone, she said, “Stand to the left,” after handing me a sealed envelope.
At first, I could not understand why there were fewer students standing on my side than the other side, but as soon as I opened the envelope, the letter inside revealed tha I need not take the writing test, and the shorter line was for people like me, who passed the CAHSEE, the California High School Exit Exam.
No matter where you live or how high your GPA is, all students attending public high schools in California are required to take CAHSEE in order to graduate. This exam can be taken multiple times, from sophomore to senior, until a passing score is reached. The CAHSEE was enacted in 1999 to ensure public high schools graduates demonstrate grade level competency in reading, writing, and mathematics.
For the high school student who took Advanced Placement classes and received grade B or above, CAHSEE should be quite easy. But, no one should not overlook this test. Parents should be aware of it and help their kids prepare for it as this test is linked with ELA (English Language Arts). My performance on that test has avoided me from taking the English portion of the assessment test at Long Beach City College. For this reason, I was able to take a higher level English course, a step closer to completing my general education requirement in English. The importance of the CAHSEE could save students an entire school year and they will be able to move forward in their academic career.
However, with budget cuts, schools have experienced teacher layoffs and after-school program elimination, leading to less time in classrooms, and less time for teachers to prepare their students for test like CAHSEE.