From the Los Angeles Times:

High school seniors in California’s class of 2008 turned in the worst performance on record on the state’s mandatory exit exam, with one out of ten failing to pass. State officials said the passage rate fell because for the first time students in special education were required to take the tests to earn diplomas.

Nearly half of the students receiving special education services failed to pass the exam. A score of 55 percent is required to pass the math portion, which is geared to an eighth-grade level, and 60 percent on the English portion, which is ninth- or tenth-grade level.

UPDATE. See also: Don’t disable the state exit exam — San Francisco Chronicle

While it’s clear that disabled students need more help, that doesn’t mean that they should be exempt from the exam altogether. That would be an insult to these students’ abilities and a reversal for the future of the California economy.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 at 9:00 am and is filed under graduation, NOT2BEMISSED, special education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.