Independent Evaluation of California’s High School Exit Exam

In 1999, California Senate Bill 2X established the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE). The bill stated that beginning with the Class of 2004, students must pass examinations in language arts and in mathematics to receive a diploma from a public high school in California. The bill also specified that an independent evaluation be conducted in conjunction with the development and implementation of the new exam. HumRRO was selected as the contractor to conduct this evaluation.

As specified in the legislation, the evaluation examined the impact of the new requirement on dropout and graduation rates and on college attendance, both for all students and for specific designated groups of students, such as English learners. Additionally, the evaluators were expected to suggest ways to improve the development, administration, and use of the new exam.

The initial evaluation was completed in September 2004. The current contract continues evaluation activities through September 2010. Evaluation activities include the following components:

• Analysis of Test Results. These analyses include calculation of passing rates, overall and by demographic groups, trends in these passing rates, and analyses of factors related to student success on the exam. HumRRO also has analyzed psychometric characteristics of the test scores, including score equating across administrations, and made recommendations for improving the quality of the exam.
• Review of Test Questions. HumRRO conducted an independent review of test questions. This review included evaluating alignment to targeted content specifications using the Webb Alignment Model and also an assessment of conformance to principals of universal design in item development.
• Instruction Study. HumRRO conducted a second study of the alignment of instruction to the CAHSEE content standards, similar to the study conducted in 2003 in response to Assembly Bill (AB) 609.
• Assessment of the Impact of the CAHSEE Requirement. HumRRO surveyed students, teachers, and principals with respect to the impact on instruction and on student aspirations and plans. Existing data on dropouts and on performance on other cognitive tests also have been analyzed.