Schools

East Bay Students Show Steady Gains in Exit Exam Scores

The figures released today by the state show that the achievement gap is narrowing, too.

More Bay Area students passed the high school exit exam in 2011 than ever before in the 12 years since the state created the test, according to results released Wednesday by the California Department of Education.

In , about 77 percent of 10th graders passed the California High School Exit Examination this year. At , 75 percent passed the math exam while 77 percent passed the English-Language Arts test. Students must pass the test by their senior year to get their diploma.

Statewide, 94.6 percent — or 422,558 students — passed both the English-language arts and mathematics part of the test and qualified to graduate. In Alameda County, 82 percent of sophomores passed both exams.

The achievement gap between white and minority students continues to shrink.

The percentage of black students in California who passed the exit exam was 90.9 of this year's graduating class, up from 89.6 percent the year before. Some 92.3 percent of the state's Hispanic students passed this year, up from 91.4 percent in 2010.

Statewide passage rates for white and Asian students: 98.4 percent and 97.7 percent, respectively.

“It is heartening to see that our students continue to learn and achieve despite the painful toll that budget cuts are taking on our schools,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said. “The results of this year’s exit examination — and the progress schools are making to close the achievement gap — are yet another sign of the remarkable commitment that teachers, school employees, and administrators have to the students of California."

More on SLUSD's 2011 exit exam results:

    * 657 sophomores took the English test and 661 took the math exam.
    * Of the 342 males who took the math exam, 75 percent passed; and of the 344 males who took the English exam, an equal 75 percent passed.
    * Of the 315 females who took the math exam, 74 percent passed; and of the 317 females who took the English exam, 79 percent of them passed.
    * Asian students scored the highest in both subjects, with 99 percent passing the math exam and 92 percent passing the English exam.
    * Filipino students scored the second highest in both subjects, with 91 percent passing the math exam and 88 percent passing the English exam.
    * 79 percent of white students passed in math, 78 percent in English.
    * 68 percent of Hispanic or Latinos passed in math, 71 percent in English.
    * 64 percent of mixed-race students passed in math, 73 percent in English.
    * 62 percent of black students passed in math, 75 percent in English.
    * 49 percent of English language learners passed in math, 34 percent in English (compared with 57 percent in math and 45 percent in English county-wide).
    * 73 percent of students from economically disadvantaged families passed in math, 85 percent in English (that's above the 71 percent in both subjects county-wide).

Jennifer Courtney contributed to this report.


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