State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson called the University of California, California State University systems, The Association of Independent California Colleges, and Universities to ask for their assistance in helping students who are being denied entrance into college solely because they have not passed the state high school exit exam.
“No student’s dream of a college education should be delayed because of an anomaly,” Torlakson said. “That’s why I am working closely with college administrators and the Legislature to remedy the situation and help these students stay on track for college.”
The California Department of Education is working with the Legislature to pass legislation that would suspend the exit exam requirement for the next three years because the exam does not reflect the new state academic standards being taught in schools. Senate Bill 172 has been making its way through the legislative process all year, and if it is approved and signed, students can then get a diploma without passing the exit exam.
With the legislation to suspend the California High School Exit Exam progressing, the $11 million-a-year contract to administer the test was not renewed, and therefore the July exam was not offered as in past years.