EDITORIAL EXIT EXAM SHOWDOWN NEXT STOP, STATE SUPREME COURT.THE ruling by the state appeals court last week to uphold up·hold tr.v. up·held , up·hold·ing, up·holds 1. To hold aloft; raise: upheld the banner proudly. 2. To prevent from falling or sinking; support. 3. the California High School Exit Exam The California High School Exit Exam (or CAHSEE) is a requirement for high school graduation in the state of California, created by the California Department of Education to improve the academic performance of California high school students, and especially of high school is a victory for the students who flunked it. Yes, that's right. The opponents of the exam, who filed suit to stop the test, would have us believe otherwise. They argue that the students who can't pass the test are getting substandard substandard, adj below an acceptable level of performance. education. It's a valid point -- but one for another argument. The CASHEE exposes the deficiencies in schools that allow students to fail; it doesn't create them. And halting halt·ing adj. 1. Hesitant or wavering: a halting voice. 2. Imperfect; defective: halting verse. 3. Limping; lame. the exam won't help those failing students succeed academically. In fact, it might be harder to pinpoint the problem schools without standardized tests A standardized test is a test administered and scored in a standard manner. The tests are designed in such a way that the "questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent" [1] . We're not doing students any favor to graduate them from high school without the basic skills. The fight over CASHEE is probably not over. Lawyers for opponents say they will file an appeal with the California Supreme Court. Hopefully, the state's highest court will rule like the appeals court -- for the children. |
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