Graduation of 5,000 Seniors in Jeopardy
More than 5,000 seniors in the Los Angeles Unified School District have yet to pass the state’s high school exit exam, according to figures released Friday by the district.
This year, for the first time, seniors must pass the two-part exam that tests basic math and English skills in order to graduate. As of February, 5,280 students -- about 18% of the total senior class -- still needed to pass one or both parts of the test, district figures showed. Of those, nearly 800 will not be able to take the exam again in time to graduate with their class.
Most of the other seniors still needing to pass took the exam in March and will learn before graduation if they passed.
Large achievement gaps for minority students and English learners remain. Only 71% of African American seniors and 80% of Latinos have passed both sections of the test, compared to 93% of white seniors. Half of the students designated as English learners must still pass the exam.
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