High School Exit Research Paper

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Running head: Contemporary Issues in Education: High School Exit 1 Contemporary Issues in Education: High School Exit Exams University of Phoenix Contemporary Issues in Education: High School Exit Introduction Educators have long held that a good education provides the best foundation for 2 prosperity and success. An education allows employee to compete in a growling global economy. One solution to determining the effectiveness of our education system, according to the government involved high school exit testing. Congress passed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2001, which revamped the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The legislation vowed to eliminate the achievement gap between underprivileged…show more content…
How significant it is for students to pass exit exams if the tests fail to translate into deeper learning for students and academic success? Components of the Exit Exams The exit exams are comprised of two sections, which include English, language arts and Math. Tenth graders who fail the exam have five opportunities to retake the sections they struggle to pass. Students can retake the test twice in their junior and senior and once after high school if they fail it initially. Most states also offer students the opportunity for remediation, typically during the school day. To encourage participation courses are also available to students before or after school and during the summer. As part of their high school exit exams, most states include components of reading, writing and math. Florida along with a few other states currently test students on reading and Math only, but are phasing in other subjects. According to Foote, in approximately nine states are using end-of-course tests rather than specific grade-level tests; the change is gaining popularity (p. 360). Students test for a specific subject, such as biology, at the end of the course rather than taking a comprehensive test at a specific grade level. NCLB and Accountability for Graduation Rates Under No Child Left Behind, as part of the yearly objectives, schools are accountable for high school graduation rates. The legislation prevented schools from including alternative diplomas and GEDs in the overall graduation rate percentages, focusing primarily on the students that were more likely to drop out. Schools are required to test students once between the tenth through twelfth grades in core subjects. Traditionally, schools tested students in math, reading, and science but accountability testing failed to offer appropriate accommodations for students with limited English proficiency and for those with disabilities. High School exit exams are given to
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