All sophomores will be taking the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) on February 5th and 6th. These exams are given in order to ensure that all California students graduate with grade level skills in reading, writing, and math, according to the California Department of Education website.

According to Associate Principal Sharon Bartlett, every year the sophomore students take this exam and a vast majority pass. “Almost all students pass and those that do not retake the exam junior or senior year,” Bartlett added. Teachers provide help to students if they do not pass the test their sophomore year.

According to Bartlett, the exam is state instituted to make sure each student with a California diploma has the same level of proficiency. “This test is not setting the ceiling, rather it is setting the floor to be a high school graduate,” she added. Because of the large size of the state and the varying levels of graduation rates in the districts, this test acts as a standard. “In this district, graduation is not an issue,” said Bartlett.

Sophomore Mary Orders said that in regards to in-class preparation, she has only learned about what to expect for the writing section. “I have Ms. Mayer for English and she has been helping us get ready by going over possible topics such as a business letter, persuasive essay or literary analysis paper,” said Orders.

Orders also believes that this test will serve as a good mark for students because the score reports go into detail on reading, writing and math skill levels.

All standardized testing is currently in transition from the old standards to the new CORE standards according to Bartlett. “There will be new standards within the next few years and the CAHSEE may as well change,” said Bartlett.