Governor Brown is expected to sign a bill nixing high school exit exam

Governor Jerry Brown is planning to get rid of the California high school exit exam for 2015. This after 5,000 students in the state didn’t receive a high school diploma for not passing that exam.

State officials said many of these students met graduation requirements but just didn’t pass the test, which is holding them back from going to college or joining the military.

“Having your high school diploma is a major accomplishment for a student. You have to have that high school diploma in order to continue on your career path and so we’re very hopeful all of them are going to pass the test when it’s put in place again,” Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Nancy Kotowski said.

Kotowski said the exit exam might not be offered for at least the next three years as officials try to figure out how to replace it. As for 2015 graduates, Governor Brown said he plans to sign legislation to exempt the test.

The Governor’s Office issued this statement: “Students who’ve been accepted into college should not be prevented from starting class this fall because of a test cancellation they could not control.”

Not everyone thinks ditching the high school exit exam is such a great idea. In fact, there are some students on campus here who think it’s not only a bad idea but unfair.

“It kind of goes both ways, I kind of feel cheated a little bit because, oh yeah I could have just flunked it too and graduated. But at the same time it’s not that bad because an exam shouldn’t determine your graduation,” Alisal High senior Missael Campos said.

Desiree Montoya is also a senior at Alisal and she said some of her own friends haven’t passed the test yet but she thinks the exit exam is a good thing.

“Some students you could take really easy classes in high school but it doesn’t define if you’re prepared for college or not,” said Montoya.

The exit exam tests students on 8th grade math and 10th grade English. Monterey County education officials said their passage rates are pretty good. The exit exam has been a rite of passage for the last 15 years. When the Governor signs the legislation those tests will be history.