cahsee

The California High School Exit Exam(CAHSEE) is a graduation requirement for all students attending public school in the state of California. In order to earn a high school diploma for any public school in the state, a student is required to pass the CAHSEE. According to the California Department of Education: "The primary purpose of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) is to significantly improve pupil achievement in public high schools and to ensure that pupils who graduate from public high schools can demonstrate grade level competency in reading, writing, and mathematics." The idea is to hold schools accountable and ensure that students who graduate high school can demonstrate basic proficiency in core subject areas. Click here to read a more detailed overview.

CAHSEE Sections

The CAHSEE has two parts, an English Language-Arts section, and a Mathematics section. The exam covers academic standards from grades 6 through 10. The test is first administered to high school students during the second semester of the 10th grade(sophomore) year. If students do not pass the exam on the first try, they will have over a dozen opportunities to pass the test after their sophomore year. The CAHSEE was put into place as an attempt to guarantee that every high school graduate in the state of California could demonstrate competency in the core subject ares of math and English. The use of the CAHSEE as a graduation requirement has been controversial and has drawn criticism from a wide array of sources. Some of this criticism is due to the fact that students in poor areas tend to perform more poorly on the CAHSEE than do students from more affluent communities. Much of this difference can be attributed to the fact that the best schools tend to reside in more affluent communities. This has led some to suggest that the CAHSEE should no longer be used as a graduation requirement, however, there is no indication that this type of criticism will make any impact on the state. It is very likely that the CAHSEE will continue to be used as a baseline to evaluate student achievement at the basic level.

The CAHSEE consists of a variety of question types in both English and mathematics. Each question on the exam will specifically test one of the many content standards from grades 6 through 10. Here are a couple of sample questions in mathematics from a website that specializes in CAHSEE preparation. Question #1 tests content standard: Algebra 1 4.0. Question 2 tests content standard:Measurement and Geometry 3.2.

Solutions to the above math problems:

Sample Math Question #1 Solution

Sample Math Question #2 Solution


These are just a couple questions that test knowledge of 2 of the roughly 50 mathematics standards tested on the CAHSEE. For a detailed list of every standard covered on the exam and even more sample questions click here.

Sample English Questions:

Choose the answer that is the most effective substitute for each underlined part of the sentence. If no substitution is necessary, choose "Leave as is."

Standard 10WC 1.2

1) Requirerments for admission include obtaining a high school diploma, maintaining a minimum grade point average, and participating in community service.

A) obtaining a high school diploma, maintain a minimum grade point average and participate in community service.

B) to obtain a high school diploma, maintaining a minimum grade point average and participating in community service.

C) to obtain a high school diploma, maintaining a minimum grade point average, and to participate in community service.

D) Leave as is.

Standard 10WC 1.1

2) After, the tornado hit, the small town was devastated.

A) After the tornado hit, the

B) After the tornado hit the

C)After the tornado hits, the

D) Leave as is.

Correct Answers:
1. D
2. A

These are just a few sample questions from one of the 6 content areas tested on the English-language Arts portion of the exam. For a detailed breakdown of each of the 6 content areas covered on the English section of the exam click here