State education officials get an earful

Begging, threatening and scolding, scores of people from across the state told education officials Thursday that students in the class of 2006 should be allowed to graduate even if they can't pass the California High School Exit Exam.

Some spoke about special education students who have disabilities that could prevent them from passing the test. Others talked about students new to the country who might not possess the English skills necessary to pass. And some expressed concern for tens of thousands more who, for other reasons, haven't been able to pass the math and English portions of the test in the three or four tries they've had so far.

A handful of speakers said the state should keep the exam as a graduation requirement this school year, but they were greatly outnumbered by critics.

The comments came during a daylong meeting in a packed hearing room at the Department of Education on N Street. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell invited the public to offer ideas about possible alternatives for students who can't pass the exam.

The meeting drew professors, lawyers, civil rights advocates, business leaders, teachers, students, parents and grandparents - but not O'Connell. He was in Los Angeles at an event promoting preschool.

Many blasted the state for waiting so long to consider what to do with students failing the test. Even as they suggested alternatives - such as a different test, proof of good grades, tests in other languages or portfolios of work - many admitted it was too late to implement those ideas in time for graduation.

"In the short run, we're unlikely - in fact, unable - to mount such a strategy between now and June," said Linda Darling-Hammond, a Stanford University education professor.

She, along with UCLA professors and attorneys from Public Advocates, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Morrison & Foerster law firm in San Francisco, called on the state to spend the next year developing an alternative and to allow students in the class of 2006 to graduate if they have met their school districts' graduation requirements.

They also suggested that students who have passed the exam get a special designation from the state on their diplomas.

Other speakers suggested a nondiploma certificate for those who complete all requirements but don't pass the exam.

So far, more than 90,000 students - about 22 percent of the senior class - have not passed the exit exam, which tests students on sixth-, seventh-and eighth-grade math skills and reading and writing at the 10th-grade level. Students must pass both parts to graduate.

Gary Hart, a former state senator and Gray Davis' first education secretary, said he opposes the use of portfolios or tests in languages other than English.

But he said other standardized exams, such as the SAT, AP, UC and CSU placement tests and the 11th-grade California Standards Test, would be acceptable - even though only a fraction of students now failing the exit exam likely would pass such tests.

"Our purpose should not be to accommodate marginally proficient students," Hart said.

Jim Lanich, president of California Business for Education Excellence, urged officials not to change the current requirement.

"It's important to the business community that the folks they hire - the people who graduate from the 12th grade - are able to do seventh-grade math," he said.

The meeting reached its most emotional point when parents and students confronted officials about their families' struggles.

Rebecca Serafin, who lives near San Jose, said she has made arrangements for her daughter, a special education student, to move to another state for her final semester of high school in order to get a diploma. Her daughter has passed one section of the test but not the other.

"Now we're here in the ninth inning and parents and students have to make very tough decisions," Serafin said.

Madai Alarcon Robles, a 17-year-old senior at Pathways Charter High School in San Jose, spoke of the difficulty the exam poses for students learning English. "I been here for 10 years," she said. "I have to work. I can speak English, but I can't understand all the English. I have a hard time spelling."

Robles said she supports younger siblings still in Mexico. She said she left them behind to find a better future. "Now, because of this exam, I'm not going to get it," Robles said.

It's unclear what effect, if any, the meeting will have on the exam. O'Connell and his staff will consider the suggestions, said spokeswoman Hilary McLean, and make recommendations to the state Board of Education and the Legislature in January.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Laurel Rosenhall can be reached at (916) 321-1083 or lrosenhall@sacbee.com.