U.S. Judge Won’t Block State’s School Exit Exam

A federal judge who is considering a challenge to the state’s mandated high school exit examination said Thursday that he does not intend to block the test.

“I am not of the opinion I want to stop this entire process,” U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said during a court hearing here. “I am of the opinion a test should go forward.”

Advocates for the disabled have challenged the test in a lawsuit, charging that the exams are unfair to students who have reading disabilities and other kinds of learning impairments.

Rather than stopping the test for everyone, Breyer said, he is more interested in determining whether he should order the state to ensure that the disabled are accommodated.

State officials say they already have pledged to help disabled students by allowing them to use calculators or have someone read them the test if their disability necessitates such aid.

Breyer, however, noted that the state’s policy for disabled test-takers is not an ironclad guarantee that help for the students will continue. “Policies change,” he said.

He also expressed concern about students who might not be able to pass the test even with accommodations from the state.

California’s Department of Education has argued that the accommodations it will offer this year are sufficient to ensure that disabled students who grasp high school requirements will pass the exam.

Breyer’s ruling in the case is pending.