At the beginning of this year the graduating class of 2006 was required to pass the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE), as well as meet the district and other state requirements in order to receive a high school diploma. That is until the first of several lawsuits forced the legislature to re-evaluate their stance.

On January 30, 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill (SB) 517, which provides a one-year exemption of the requirement to pass the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) for certain students with disabilities in the class of 2006. Students have to meet certain criteria in order to qualify, which can be found on the California Department of Education web site: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html.

According to Mrs. Dalton, a SPED teacher, her students have been passing the high school exit exam. Dalton is one of few teachers that teach in the SPED program. “Of 37 students, all but one have past the test. All the kids have passed at least one portion of the test, if it’s not math it’s English,” said Dalton. Many of the students in the program this year did not get as many waivers for the CAHSEE, and the program is not expecting any next year said Dalton.

Mrs. Kuh, Special Ed Department Chair said, “The waiver is a stop-gap measure, it is not a solution. Students with learning disabilities face obstacles that other students may not, and they should be able to take the test in a different way, or in a different setting, than their non-disabled peers."

Because the delays and changes that have been put in the CAHSEE, there are presently lawsuits targeting the exam. According to the San Jose Mercury News (February 9, 2006), a lawsuit was filed seeking to ensure that no high school student is denied a diploma simply for not passing the high school exit exam. There is also a pending lawsuit for English language learners.

Mr. Cabrera, a Spanish/ ESL World History teacher, believers that many of the students have a hard time understanding the language. “They don’t have a chance to pass if they cannot understand English.” Cabrera believes that many of the new English-speaking students that are not mentally nor physically ready for the exit exam could lead to devastating results. Cabrera explained that

new English speaking kids who are not ready should be given various practice exams that will help the kids in need to progress. “The waiver is just a form of running away from the test. It will not help in the long run.”

Mr. Saucedo, an ESL teacher, believes that that it all depends on the person’s disabilities and problems that they may have. “The exit exam shows what that student has accomplished or what he may know. There shouldn’t be a waiver for any little reason”, said Saucedo.