California high school exit exam: Racist and illegal!

Some 47,000 high-school seniors had their hopes for June graduation dashed when a federal appeals court refused to schedule an early hearing on the fairness of California’s high school exit exam.

While State Superintendent Jack O’Connell is elated with this “most welcome decision,” thousands of second language learners, primarily Latin@, and under-served students from poor families will be not be able to walk the stage and receive their diplomas.

Students and their advocates have been mobilizing this year to challenge the California High School Exit Exam. A lawsuit filed by 10 West Contra Costa high-school students and their parents had been affirmed on May 12, when a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction suspending the exit exam for the 2006 graduating class.

Judge Robert Freedman said he was persuaded by the students’ testimony that the exit exam discriminates against English-language learners and poor students. The judge went on to note, “There is evidence that shows that students in economically challenged communities have not had an equal opportunity to learn the materials tested on the exam.”

Arturo Gonzalez, the students’ attorney, added: “Many students in California have not been given a fair opportunity to learn the material. These are good kids who have worked hard for 13 years to pass their courses.”

Californians for Justice had brought a second challenge to the exit exam, alleging that the state violated its own law by not studying alternatives to the exit exam. Unfortunately, the study was not completed in time to affect the first year of the exit exam.

A Stanford study strongly proposed an alternative approach. In a report called the “Multiple Measures Approaches to High School Graduation,” the School Redesign Network cited positive alternatives to exams that are used by several states including Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Maine. The Stanford group suggested implementing a program like a “Senior Year Demonstration” which would include and encourage a range of performance and thinking skills.

Students all over California were thrilled when the court ruled in their favor on May 12. However, true to its word, the state education office appealed to the Cali fornia Supreme Court, which reinstated the exam. The First District Court of Appeal showed what side the court is on by refusing to set an expedited hearing. The appeals court instead set the hearing for July 25, guaranteeing that tens of thousands of students will not get their diplomas.

Of the nearly 47,000 seniors who failed the exam, at least 20,600 are designated as English learners. More than 28,300 are from poor families.

Students, parents and lawyers are continuing to mobilize to stop this latest injustice against Latin@, African American and poor students. Gonzalez, the students’ attorney, stated that the “fight is not over.” He and others believe that the exit exam is illegal, discriminatory and a violation of the students’ constitutional rights.

According to Antonio Williams, a young writer for the Poor News Network, students were mobilized into the struggle and encouraged by the resistance to CAHSEE. He said, “As I, a young brother of color who failed the Exit Exam, watched resistance to the racist and classist Exit Exam, I don’t feel like completely giving up.” (www.poormagazine.org)