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May 16, 2006
May 16, 2006 - May 29, 2006
Volume , Issue 10
In This Issue...
Neighbors Unite to Clear Schwan Lake of Marsh Pennywort
Proposal Withdrawn for 211 Homes at Aptos Par 3 Golf Course
Retiring Terry McHenry to be Pajaro’s Interim Superintendent until December
On the Record: Kathryn Benson Talks about Her Challenges Behind the Scenes at Pajaro Schools, Part I
Capitola’s Parking Project Could Displace Mobile Home Residents
Trustee Works to Get the Word Out
County Superintendent of Schools Candidates on the Issues
High Dollar Race
Volunteers Help Soquel Creek Go Native
Capitola to Scale Back Proposed Alarm Ordinance
Differences Emerge in Race for Third District County Supervisor
Caltrans Says Highway 1 Merge Lanes Project on Schedule
Santa Cruz City Council Explores Monorail Concept
Ruling May Suspend High School Exit Exam This Spring
County Takes Steps Towards Modernized Voting Systems
911
CRIME BEAT
Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
Capitola Police Department Offers Child Safety Seat Inspections
Identity Theft
“Click It Or Ticket”
Around Aptos
Aptos History Museum to Open
How Can a Small Business Manage its Public Relations?
Business
California Fencing Academy Brings Mythic Sport to Santa Cruz County
Opinions
Soquel Village â€" A Closer Look
POSTMARKED
The Mid-County Post > News
Ruling May Suspend High School Exit Exam This Spring
By Michael Thomas
The Exam was to be a requirement for graduation for the first time this year, but on Friday, May 12, Alameda Superior Court Judge Robert Freedman sided with plaintiffs who contended that schools in low-income communities failed to properly prepare students for the exam.

Judge Freedman ordered a one-year suspension of the graduation requirement. That means an estimated 47,000 seniors in the State who have failed to pass the exam may graduate after all. However, there are no figures on how many of those who have failed completed all other graduation requirements.

San Francisco attorney Arturo Gonzales filed the lawsuit in February on behalf of students of the Class of 2006.

The Exit Exam tests students on eighth grade level math and tenth grade level English. Most students who cannot pass after repeated opportunities are learning English as a second language. Much of the math section consists of word problems difficult to complete with limited English skills.

“It operates against the idea of having the high school diploma mean something,” said Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Diane Siri.

Siri’s office â€" in coordination with local school districts â€" had provided support for students struggling to pass the exam in the form of in-school classes and after-school Saturday study courses.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell created the Exam while serving as a State Senator in 1999. He saw the exam as a way of boosting the value of a high school diploma. O’Connell, with the support of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, has vowed to appeal the decision before the month is out.

While some students are celebrating, others who have attended special tutoring and Saturday classes to pass the exam may now be disappointed by the apparently wasted effort.

“My most immediate concern is the chaos this decision creates in school districts throughout the state,” O’Connell said.

Siri said she hopes the idea of the exam isn’t abandoned with the court decision. She said that some of the new revenues available for California schools in the next year should focus on providing additional support for high school students in core subjects, allowing all students an opportunity to pass. She believes the test is important to ensure graduates can demonstrate a minimal competency in math, English and writing.
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