Lowering The Bar in California Education

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, Superior Court Judge Robert Freedman suspended the California high school exit exam stating "There is evidence in the record that shows that students in economically challenged communities have not had an equal opportunity to learn the materials tested." (here) I was shocked, stunned... students who after 12 years of elementary and secondary education had not had the opportunity to learn the material tested? Why, this must be some intense, demanding test covering the minutia of all aspects of knowledge that had the most remote possiblity of being presented to such students! I decided to do what I bet most people arguing the issue have not done, I read what the California Department of Education (CADEd) Website said about the exit exam.

The purpose of the exam, as stated on the CADEd Website:

The primary purpose of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) is to significantly improve pupil achievement in public high schools and to ensure that pupils who graduate from public high schools can demonstrate grade level competency in reading, writing, and mathematics... The CAHSEE has two parts: English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics.

Okay, not so bad. They want to improve achievement and ensure that high school graduates can actually work at "grade level" in the "3 Rs". But what stunned me is the bar they placed for the acceptable "grade level competency". According to the site, The ELA part addresses state content standards through grade ten... The mathematics part of the CAHSEE addresses state standards in grades six and seven and Algebra I. Tenth grade language arts and eighth grade math is the "grade level competency" expected for a California high school graduate? That is appalling! Of course, in California the fact that people pass the exam in hearlded as outstanding news. According to California Superintendent of Public Schools Jack O'Connell "Nearly 90 percent of this year’s seniors have passed the California High School Exit Exam. This shows that students are acquiring the necessary knowledge and our high schools are focused on making sure students who graduate have the essential mathematics and English-language skills they will need to survive in the workplace or college."

So what does this really say about the beliefs of Judge Freedman and the plaintiff's attorney Arturo Gonzalez? If you have been following the case, quite a bit. For starters:

Feelings trump achievement.

Race and economic status trump hard work and endurance.

Being a credentialed teacher trumps being a competent teacher.

Throwing money at a problem always fixes it.

Standards are discriminatory (the bugaboo of the times).

And who loses?

The students (both those who have taken it... tough, as well as those who now do not have to because you now know that these people don't care about you).

The teachers (those of you who put in long hours and work hard to try to help children learn, you can stop now, it apparently isn't a value people like Freedman and Arturo deem a worthy goal).

The parents (at least you can now stop nagging your children to do better in school, they are guaranteed to graduate by simply showing up).

Anyone with a California high school diploma (oh well, at least you have spare toilet paper).

The California taxpayer (NICE investment in the future isn't it... say, since we aren't going teach these people, can we fire the teachers and at least fix the darned roads?).

Ah, what a way to start the week... let's see if President Bush's speech tonight tops this.