San Juan Students on Track With State Exit Exam Rates

San Juan Unified high school students are roughly on par with their peers statewide at passing the state-mandated exit exam, according to recently released data from the California Department of Education.

Eighty-four percent of San Juan sophomores (the class of 2014) passed the math portion of the exam during the 2011-2012 school year, while 85 percent passed the English/language arts portion. Statewide, 84 percent of sophomores passed the math portion, while 83 percent passed the English/language arts portion this past school year.

Compared to other school districts in the greater Sacramento area, however, San Juan students are a bit behind. Davis tops the list with a 95 percent pass rate for both subjects, while Roseville follows closely with a 93 percent pass rate in math, and 92 percent pass rate in English. Elk Grove attained an 88 percent pass rate in math, and 86 percent rate in English. The Sacramento City Unified district came in at 82 percent in math, and 80 percent in English, just slightly below San Juan's rates. 

The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is administered several times throughout each year starting in grade 10. It's designed to ensure that upon graduation, students have demonstrated competency in reading, writing and math. Those who don't pass the exam as sophomores have two opportunities in grade 11 and up to five opportunities their senior year to pass.

Statewide, the number of students from the class of 2012 that passed the exit exam – 95 percent – increased slightly from the previous year, marking the sixth straight year of improving performance, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced in a news release. But given the uncertainty of education funding and cuts to public instruction in recent years, he expressed concern for future graduating classes.

"While I'm happy about the progress made by the Class of 2012, I still have concerns for the Class of 2013, the Class of 2014, and all the classes that will follow," Torlakson stated in the release. "We have made solid improvement, but schools and districts are facing some unprecedented challenges right now. Overcrowded classrooms, shorter school years, and fewer teachers are in store for us unless we stop the cuts to education funding and begin restoring some of what has been cut in recent years."

To view results by school, district, county and state, click here.

Stay Patched in! Follow Citrus Heights Patch on Twitter | Like Citrus Heights Patch on Facebook | Sign up for the daily email with links to the latest news.