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High School Exit Exams and Hispanics

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Title: High School Exit Exams and Hispanics
Language: English
Authors: Adam, Michelle
Source: Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review. Jan 2005 70(5):52-57.
Availability: Prakken Publications, 832 Phoenix Dr., P.O. Box 8623, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. Tel: 734-975-2800; Fax: 734-975-2787; Web site: http://www.eddigest.com/.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 6
Publication Date: 2005
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: High Schools
Descriptors: Exit Examinations, Hispanic American Students, High School Students, White Students, Limited English Speaking, English (Second Language), Low Achievement, Test Bias, Culture Fair Tests, Cultural Differences
ISSN: 0013-127X
Abstract: This article deals with the report, entitled "State High School Exit Exams: A Maturing Reform", that addressed the achievement gaps that exist for minority and English language learner (ELL) populations. In this article, the author shows how Hispanics and ELLs lag behind Caucasians in terms of passing percentage in different subject areas. The kind of supports available to students with disabilities are many more, with more options than for ELLs. While students with disabilities are provided with additional support or exemptions from taking exit exams, ELLs have been given fewer options, and, as a result of that fact, they are failing in greater numbers. The report also addressed the financial difficulties facing schools nationwide wherein many states are facing serious budget crises that compromise their ability to support remediation and other necessary services to help students pass the exit exams. One of the challenges that remains, as documented in this report, is the lack of alignment between high school curriculum and state exit exams.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2006
Access URL: https://www.eddigest.com/index.php
Accession Number: EJ741180
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0015604484;edd01jan.05;2005Jan24.09:15;v2.2.460</anid> <title id="AN0015604484-1">High School Exit Exams and Hispanics </title> <p>WHEN Keith Gayler, of the Center on Education Policy, in Washington, D.C., first started looking at state high school exit exam results a little over two years ago, he felt great concern.</p> <p>"When I started this, I was worried," he said. "I felt like states were just making a leap of faith on these exams, and so many students were going to be affected. That was frightening."</p> <p>Today, Gayler still has reason to worry: "A lot of the concerns I had then are still concerns I have now. So many students are still failing this exam on the first try, and there are such achievement gaps. I've worried about whether states would provide the opportunities and resources to make up for the difference in test scores. If you know ahead of time who's more likely to fail, does this say more about the students or the quality of education?"</p> <p>Gayler, co-author of the center's third annual report, State High School Exit Exams: A Maturing Reform, has been especially concerned about the achievement gaps that exist for minority and English-language learner (ELL) populations. The overall pass rates among students from 20 states that now require students to take the tests to graduate, and five more that will be requiring them by the year 2009, was 65% to 85% for first-time testers.</p> <p>But try looking at the results which have been shown by specific states, such as Arizona, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington. If you make that examination, then the differences among Caucasians, Hispanics, and English-language learners in the 2003 school year are evident.</p> <p>In Arizona, 49% and 74% of first-time Caucasian test takers passed in the subjects of math and reading, respectively. But in comparison, Hispanics scored 18% and 38%; and ELLs, 7% and 13%. In the state of Massachusetts, Caucasians scored 86% and 94% in the subjects of math and English language arts, respectively, while Hispanics scored 54% and 66%; and ELLs, 57% and 42%. (For the state of Texas: Caucasians, 91% and 92%; Hispanics, 78% and 81%; ELLs, 59% and 42%. Washington: Caucasians, 44% and 65%; Hispanics, 16% and 35%; and ELLs, 8% and 12%.)</p> <cn>Failing a Test Can Mean Dropping Out</cn> <p>"It's still the same. The numbers have not changed much from the last year. Initial pass rates are the same, even though cumulative pass rates (rates that include several tries at taking the tests) are a bit higher," said Gayler. "The first-time pass rate achievement rates really stand out. Failing a test means, for some students, dropping out or getting a GED. The students who have a lower pass rate are in greater danger of that happening."</p> <p>The exit exams came about in the 1990s as part of a resurgence of minimum competency and exit exams that existed in the 1970s and 1980s, but were deemed unsuccessful, explained Gayler. "The push really came from the business community and higher education. They were saying that they were not getting the graduates that are prepared for a work force or higher education, and that someone was dropping the ball," he said.</p> <p>Unlike SATs, however, the exit exams, which began in states such as Georgia, New Mexico, and Alabama, were established as midpoint checks. Students are tested at tenth-grade levels, before becoming high school seniors. "They are exit exams in name only--as a gatekeeper. They test a minimum set of skills," said Gayler. "It is a way of assuring that these kids are not written off, as in the past."</p> <p>Despite the fact that exit exams are intended to prevent students from graduating underprepared for college or the work force, one of their side effects is the "push-out phenomenon." As it is written in the report, "Press stories have documented instances across the country--most notably, high-profile cases in Massachusetts, Texas, and New York--of educators pressuring lower-performing students to leave school or enter GED programs so the district could maintain higher average test scores."</p> <p>Also, those schools (19 out of 25) that use their exit exams as qualifiers for the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements often feel the pressure to perform at the expense of the students themselves. "Schools can get identified as needing improvement, and the press and others begin to consider this a 'failing' school. This can become a public relations nightmare, with angry parents and the public saying, 'I thought we had a good school!' This can mean a diverting of resources from that 'sanctioned' school to a new school that receives those new funds," said Gayier. (Under NCLB, it is provided that parents can move their child from a "failing" school to a new school, and the funds that would go to that child move with them.)</p> <p>Some observers have voiced concern that exit exams may increase dropout rates as well. According to the report, "In Virginia, for example, about 70,000 students will graduate in 2004 compared with the approximately 98,000 who began ninth grade four years before.... In Florida, approximately 13,000 seniors failed the FCAT last year. This year an estimated 14,000 failed, though both these rates are similar to those in previous years with a different exam. In Indiana, only 855 students out of roughly 100,000 failed to graduate specifically because they failed the state exit exam."</p> <cn>No Evidence Found So Far</cn> <p>Despite these statistics, much of the research which has been conducted up to this time shows no evidence of a relationship between exit exams and dropouts. "Because the data are vast yet incomplete, because many interrelated variables affect students' decisions to drop out, and because researchers disagree over how to calculate dropout rates, no consensus has emerged among researchers and policy-makers about the effect of exit exams and dropouts," according to the report.</p> <p>It must also be taken into consideration that higher failing test rates for minorities and ELLs may have another negative consequence. As Gayler pointed out, "I am also concerned about the help that they are getting--that they may be placed into remedial classes that pull them away from harder material. That ends up putting them at a disadvantage for higher education."</p> <p>Time and time again, research has pointed out the fact that poorer school districts, which often have larger minority populations, are resource poor to begin with. So, as Gayler pointed out, "If these exams have a negative impact, this will disproportionately affect minority students.</p> <p>"We also know from this year's state survey that there are very few supports for ELLs, and the largest [numbers of] ELLs are Hispanics. The kind of supports available to students with disabilities are many more, with more options than for ELLs. We see this as a major challenge for states in coming years. People are paying attention to it and know it's one of the greatest challenges."</p> <cn>Fewer Options, More Failures</cn> <p>While students with disabilities are provided with additional support or exemptions from taking exit exams, English-language learners have been given fewer options, and, as a result of that fact, they are failing in greater numbers (states do allow students to retest, but they only provide exemptions or alternative testing for specific groups of students who are in need).</p> <p>According to the wording as it is contained in the report itself, "All 25 states surveyed indicated that they allow English-language learners to use accommodations while testing ... [but] the states responding to our survey indicated that there are no special routes, waivers, or substitute tests specifically for this subgroup."</p> <p>"These are the students I worry about most with the exit exams," said Gayler. "In Minnesota, for example, they told us that they didn't need extra courses for students with disabilities because they just focus on the same minimum competencies as before. But for ELLs they have to build in more basic sets of Skills in teaching (more literacy coaches)."</p> <p>To add to this concern as it exists up to now, by the year 2009, "86.4% of all Hispanic public school children (which include large numbers of ELLs) will be required to pass exit exams to get their diplomas, while 47% were in a state that required this in 2004," said Gayler. "The states that have exit exams tend to have a higher number of minorities and spend less money per pupil."</p> <p>The politics which are associated with exit exams, combined with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, have resulted in high expectations without the full support systems and financial dollars needed to help those "failing" students and schools succeed.</p> <p>"People are seeing the stick instead of the carrot to go along with this. The act (NCLB) focuses on sanctions rather than providing resources to turn this around. Will the end result be about punishing the schools?" asks Gayler. "I don't see a lot of new resources. I see that schools end up having to shift resources from what they are doing to deal with accountability issues. They end up increasing class sizes in the upper-level classes for more remedial courses."</p> <p>The report estimated that, for states to be able to get students to perform well on exit exams in Indiana, for example, schools would need to spend $557 per pupil each year. In Massachusetts, the amount estimated would be $385 per person. "We are talking about an awful lot of money being needed," said Gayler. "And this is just one test we are talking about. With No Child Left Behind, we will soon need money for third- through eighth-grade levels."</p> <p>Despite promises by the federal government to provide funds to help with remedial education for failing schools, Gayler said that "No Child Left Behind is not fully funded under what was authorized ... by billions of dollars. Changes in how money is allocated to districts have also added to a loss in funds for some schools."</p> <p>The report also addressed the financial difficulties facing schools nationwide: "Many states are facing serious budget crises that compromise their ability to support remediation and other necessary services to help students pass the exit exams. Sustaining state funding for remediation has been a challenge in some states. Faced with serious budget problems, Massachusetts dramatically scaled back funding for its remediation programs from $50 million in 2002-03 to only $10 million in 2003-04, leading to the elimination of many after-school classes and reductions in the number of students being Served."</p> <cn>More Testing Takes More Support</cn> <p>The financial challenges that states face in implementing and providing adequate support for exit exams will only increase as more tests are administered to students of all ages through NCLB. In the meantime, however, Gayler has found several reasons to be optimistic about state testing results. The failure rates and the awareness of poor marks among minorities, ELLs, and students in general are drawing more attention to those lagging behind in the education pipeline. As a result, numerous states are providing programs in an attempt to address these issues.</p> <p>"I see states growing more programs for students and teachers than two years ago. What I see is the change in attention that's being paid to these issues, and programs being created to address this," he said. "You see, it is happening more as policies around the exit exams are calming down--less energy and resources to fight political battles. States know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."</p> <p>In creating the high school exit exam report, Gayler talked to school administrators from throughout the country. As a result, he and his colleagues were able to provide descriptions of programs that have focused specifically on helping students in need.</p> <p>"When I talked to districts, they were giving students increased small group time and creating more after-school programs than before. I found that the numbers of programs were growing for students in general--things like online tutoring, after-school programs, test guides, and practice tests," said Gayler. "Is it enough? Is it always high quality? I'm not sure."</p> <p>In producing the report, Gayler also discovered that the number of alternative pathways being offered for students to obtain a diploma is growing. This may, in effect, help English learners as well.</p> <cn>Finding Out Whether They Match</cn> <p>One of the challenges that remains, as documented in this report, is the lack of alignment between high school curriculum and state exit exams. "The problem is that states often don't know whether what's going on in the classroom matches what's being tested," said Gayler.</p> <p>By asking states to look at these issues, and documenting the results and consequences of state exit exams thus far, Gayler and the Center on Education Policy hope states will better structure their exams and support systems to ensure that, in the end, no child is truly left behind.</p> <p>"I think these issues are being looked at. There is pressure to look at them, and most educators want all students to do better," said Gayler. "How does this translate into action? Is it decreased standards, or more help to address the needs of students falling behind?"</p> <p>While research in the upcoming years may provide the answer, Gayler keeps his eye on the Hispanic population and how it fares on these exit exams. "Hispanic pass rates are low, like many other minority groups. But I think the overlap with the ELL population makes me more concerned for the Hispanic population than other minority groups. They have more challenges and needs," he said. "I see the issues of what it means for Hispanics in terms of having access to a challenging high school curriculum when they are being asked to pass these exit exams. These pressures are more significant."</p> <p>Whether Hispanic pass rates will increase, along with those of other populations of students, remains to be seen. But, if there's one thing for certain, most educators have said that these exit exams have provided "a kick in the ass," according to Gayler.</p> <p>"Do they [educators] have the motivation to do better? ... Yes," he said. "Are the tools there? I don't know."</p> <rj></rj> <rj>From The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education</rj> <aug> <p>By Michelle Adam</p> <p></p> <p>Michelle Adam is a Staff Writer for The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education. Condensed from The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, 15 (November 15, 2004), 12-15. Published at 210 Route 4 East, Suite 310, Paramus, NJ 07652.</p> </aug>
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  Data: This article deals with the report, entitled "State High School Exit Exams: A Maturing Reform", that addressed the achievement gaps that exist for minority and English language learner (ELL) populations. In this article, the author shows how Hispanics and ELLs lag behind Caucasians in terms of passing percentage in different subject areas. The kind of supports available to students with disabilities are many more, with more options than for ELLs. While students with disabilities are provided with additional support or exemptions from taking exit exams, ELLs have been given fewer options, and, as a result of that fact, they are failing in greater numbers. The report also addressed the financial difficulties facing schools nationwide wherein many states are facing serious budget crises that compromise their ability to support remediation and other necessary services to help students pass the exit exams. One of the challenges that remains, as documented in this report, is the lack of alignment between high school curriculum and state exit exams.
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