Moorpark High Exit Exam Scores Exceed County, State Numbers

Students at Moorpark High School beat the county and state in passing percentages of the California High School Exit Exam for the 2011-2012 school year, according to test results the California Department of Education released Wednesday.

Students must pass the exam in order to earn a high school diploma, but have additional opportunities to test if they don’t pass the first time.

Eighty-eight percent of the school’s tenth graders passed the math portion of the test and 87 percent passed the English and language arts section. County wide, 86 percent of 10^th graders passed the math portion and the same percentage passed the English and language arts section. In all of California the passing percentages were 84 for math and 83 for English.

The school’s numbers, however, were lower than the 2010-2011 results, in which 91 percent of 10^th graders passed the math section and 89 percent passed the English and language arts section.

Since 2006, California schools have conducted the test to ensure that students have solid skills in reading, writing and math. The exam is first administered in 10th grade, and subsequently in grades 11 and 12 if students do not pass the first time. They can take the test up to nine times. 

For the class of 2012, about 95 percent of students throughout the state passed the test by graduation time.

This year’s overall statewide passing rate of 95 percent does not include students with disabilities – which make up about 10 percent of the student body – as they are not required to take the test.