This story is taken from Put to the test at sacbee.com.
Juan crumpled it in his fist and threw it in the trash. He growled in frustration and kicked a nearby garbage can with his bright white sneakers. Then tears began to run down his flushed cheeks.
"It sucks. It really does suck," he said. "I just feel I'm not going to make it anymore."
Just days before, state officials had reiterated their commitment to the California High School Exit Exam, leaving no alternatives for those who fail the test to graduate with their class.
As the November test results began to seep out at Hiram Johnson, some students flashed big smiles along with their scores while others wanted to go home and cry. Counselors struggled to help the 114 seniors who had failed at least one section of the test again, including four of the five students whose progress The Bee is tracking.
More than 90,000 California public school students - including 182 at this inner-city high school - began their senior year without having passed the basic skills test. Since then, several thousand have passed both the math and English tests.
But the experience of most matches that of Juan, highlighting California's practice of passing students through their years in school without demanding grade-level learning.
Juan has a C average in high school and is on track to earn all the credits he needs to graduate. He passed the English exam the first time he took it as a sophomore but continues to find math daunting. In the past, Juan has received special education help in math. Yet, despite his repeated failure on the exit exam, school administrators allowed Juan to drop his math class this year. Another failure nonetheless came as a surprise to Juan.
"I really didn't expect this," he said, as a friend stopped to give him a hug. "I bought my cap and gown already and everything."
Juan and his classmates get two more chances - next month and in May. But to graduate with their class in June, they must pass the next test, on Feb. 7 and 8. And for many, the walk across the graduation stage feels as important as the diploma itself.
"If I don't pass next time, it's going to be hard," said Juan, 18. "Twelve years of school and tests and homework so they can tell you, 'No, you can't get your diploma.' "
Opponents of the exit exam immediately threatened to sue.
Emphasizing that students who fail won't be kicked out of the education system, O'Connell said that after finishing high school they could still try to pass the test and earn a diploma. Adult education programs, independent study, community college and a fifth year of high school are some of the ways he said they could do that.
O'Connell also suggested students could earn a diploma equivalent without passing the exit exam by taking the General Educational Development (GED) test or the California High School Proficiency Exam.
His suggestions drew immediate criticism, not just in the hallways of Hiram Johnson High School but in offices at some of the state's top universities.
Education experts say students who leave high school without a diploma have slimmer chances of success in work or further schooling. Some question whether those who fail the exit exam could pass the GED or proficiency tests, which demand more skills.
And students say O'Connell's options offer no way to fulfill their dream of tossing their graduation caps in June.
"That ain't my goal, to go to no night school and not walk the stage," said Kevin Muhammad, 17. "Everyone wants to see me walk the stage and get my diploma."
Kevin has worked hard to prepare for the exam and his math score shows it, jumping 18 points since he took the test last March. But the new score was still short - by only 3 points.
"I was just mad," Kevin said. "I ain't tripping about math, I got close on that. But the English and reading, though ... ."
His voice trails off. Kevin has a learning disability. While some students his age take advanced literature classes, Kevin must still sound out many words. His exit exam English score has remained flat - around 20 points shy of the passing score of 350.
If a bipartisan proposal related to special education receives the governor's approval, Kevin appears to be the most likely candidate among the five students tracked by The Bee to get a reprieve.
Leaders of the Legislature, the state Department of Education and the governor's office of education have proposed a waiver of the exam for special education students in the class of 2006, but only if they take the exam at least twice after 10th grade and at least once during 12th grade, attend exam preparation classes at their school, and have an active special education plan and fulfill all other graduation requirements.
If Kevin qualifies for the waiver, or if he passes the exam, he will be the first in his family to graduate from high school. He is determined to achieve what his parents have not.
Beyond that, Kevin's plans for the future are fuzzy. He once wanted to play college basketball, but has left his high school team in a conflict with his coach. Kevin works weekends washing dishes at a midtown restaurant, but doesn't see that as a job for a high school graduate. Maybe, Kevin says, he'll seek employment as a janitor at Sacramento's Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California, where he enjoyed working last summer, emptying garbage and watering plants.
Kevin has a lot of responsibilities: he has a daughter to support and is helping his mother raise his siblings. When his mom recently hurt her back, Kevin stayed home from school to care for the three small children.
But he remains optimistic, saying he won't give up and doesn't want his classmates to, either.
"If there's any other kids out there like me, just tell them to keep their heads up," Kevin said. "Keep on trying. ... We all in this together."
A friend emerged from meeting with the counselor. "Waiting for your scores?" the girl asked, a smile beaming across her face.
Linda nodded.
"I passed," her friend said.
"I'm hecka nervous," Linda replied.
Minutes later, Linda was inside Leticia Flores' office, tapping her feet anxiously as the printer churned out her scores.
"They're both not passing," Flores said.
Linda looked down and sighed. She was sad, but not shocked. The scores were almost identical to her scores from last March. Only last year did the 17-year-old realize the importance of passing the exit exam and begin to study.
Born in the United States, Linda has attended Sacramento schools since kindergarten. But because she speaks Vietnamese at home, she takes classes for students learning English. In most academic subjects, she is surrounded by peers speaking Spanish, Hmong and Cantonese.
After delivering the bad news, Flores pulled out a list of test-prep classes and urged Linda to attend. The courses were nothing new to Linda - she took an exit exam English class after school last year and an exit exam math class after school this fall.
Now she's going to add a before-school class and a Saturday workshop. She quit her job at Quizno's last month to focus on school and said she plans to go to the library every night and seek help from a cousin in math.
She is motivated by her desire to graduate with her friends. But if Linda doesn't pass the exit exam, teachers and counselors have told her she won't have to alter her plans to attend community college.
A handful of community colleges - in San Francisco and in Southern California - offer high school completion programs. At others, students lacking diplomas can skip the high school curriculum and move on to vocational training. That solution might work for Linda, who is interested in a career in hair styling or fashion design.
Linda isn't certain her family can afford community college without help, however, and current law bars students without diplomas from some types of financial aid. O'Connell said he wants to work with the Legislature to change that.
Even if he succeeds, the role of the community colleges for students failing the exit exam is a subject of debate. Exit exam critics say the K-12 system is shirking its responsibility by dumping those who don't pass on the community colleges. Staff at some community colleges worry that accommodating an influx of low-skilled students will mean cutting back on college-level courses.
Her family's planned move to San Diego fell through, and Larissa hasn't yet pursued the other options.
"It was tough for a while," said her counselor, Jim Limonoff. "She gave up a little bit, but now she's back on track."
Larissa has attended some of Sacramento's lowest-performing schools. She spent years in math classes taught by substitutes and earned grades so dismal her mother begged school officials to hold her back. And then just last year - in the final stretch of her education - school administrators determined that Larissa had a learning disability that blocked processing of aural information.
The 17-year-old got a bit of good news last week when she learned that she had passed the English part of the exit exam on her fourth try. But she saw the glass half empty: her math score remains 30 points short of passing and Larissa doesn't think she'll be able to pull it up. On top of that, she is short 20 credits needed for graduation.
Still, she's made up her mind to try. Like Linda, she has quit her job - at Del Taco - to take night school classes. That will have her in school every day from 8:30 a.m. to almost 9 p.m. - and Larissa has struggled to pass classes even with a normal schedule. But for once she expressed optimism.
"I'll be tired," she said. "But I think I can keep up with it."
If she doesn't get the credits she needs, Larissa can stay at Hiram Johnson another year and keep taking the exit exam. Some days she says she'll do that. Other days she says she'll quit school and get a GED.
Some question whether the GED is a viable option for students like Larissa who have been unable to pass the exit exam. It, too, is a standardized test - offering no relief to those who struggle with multiple-choice tests. And it tests students on five subjects, while the exit exam tests only two.
The California High School Proficiency Exam poses other problems. It tests high school-level material; the exit exam tests middle school math and ninth-and 10th-grade English.
Even students who manage to get a diploma equivalent through such tests generally don't go on to the success that high school graduates enjoy, according to W. Norton Grubb, a UC Berkeley professor who studies the impact of education on the labor market.
"Passing the GED doesn't improve your employment status. Getting a GED does not help you go to postsecondary education," said Grubb, an expert witness in the lawsuit threatened by exit exam opponents.
"So the notion that all these high school dropouts, these kids who have been pushed out of high school by the exit exam, are somehow going to claw their way back into school and the labor market by getting a GED - that's just not going to work."
For Brandon Reynolds, 18, the last month has brought many maturing experiences: his first job, starting to learn to drive and a sheet of paper that said "Passed."
"I'm just glad I don't have to study for that dang test again," he said, hours after learning he had succeeded on the exit exam.
Brandon had squeaked by - passing each section by just 4 points. The brown-eyed teen works on his school yearbook and loves drama class. His teachers say he's delightful, just not very academically inclined. Ask him about his plans for the week and he talks more about working and hanging out than about studying.
Now Brandon must turn his attention to two courses he is failing - geometry and government. He says he's certain he can bring his grades up and graduate with his class.
Brandon's view of the future beyond June is wide open. His new job behind the counter at a trendy Mexican restaurant feels like an accomplishment that brings him closer to adulthood. What the rest of his adult years will look like remains a teenage blur of possibilities.
"He has a long way to go to really grow up," said his mother, Darleen Reynolds. "But at least he's shown that he wants to."
About the writer:
- The Bee's Laurel Rosenhall can be reached at (916) 321-1083 or lrosenhall@sacbee.com.
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