Exit Examination in California Has Reduced the High School Graduation Rates of Black Students by Up to 20 Percentage Points

A study at the Institute for Research on Education Policy and Practice at Stanford University finds that high school graduation rates for minority students have fallen by 20 percentage points since the state of California required all students to pass an exit examination in order to be granted a diploma. The test, called the California High School Exit Examination, is first given to all California students in the 10th grade in order to identify those who are at risk of not graduating.

The Stanford research also found that students who failed the examination in the 10th grade were not motivated to work harder to pass the test in either 11th or 12th grade.

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