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Some students feel left in the lurch [Exit Exam]
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 5/25/6 | Simone Sebastian

Posted on 05/25/2006 10:18:47 AM PDT by SmithL

Two weeks ago when a judge struck down California's exit exam, 17-year-old Salvador Rodriguez thought he would be graduating from high school in June with his friends.

But the state Supreme Court's decision Wednesday to reinstate the exit exam has thrown Salvador's diploma in limbo, again.

The Richmond High School senior has taken the exam twice, but doesn't know if he passed his most recent try.

"I'm anxious, nervous. There's a lot on my shoulders," said Salvador, who dreams of attending UC Berkeley. "In a way, it'd be cool to let us graduate, but that wouldn't be the honest answer. I'd rather earn my way there."

About 47,000 students across California have not yet passed the exit exam. It is not known how many of those students had earned enough credits and were on track to graduate next month.

The ruling temporarily invalidates an Alameda County judge's May 12 decision to throw out the exit exam requirement, until an appellate court can review the case.

Whether that court will take action in time for upcoming high school graduations is unknown.

"It's devastating news. Now, again, they're robbing the students of their diplomas," said Raúl Alcaraz, organizer of the Richmond High School branch of Youth Together, a social justice organization.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: boohoo; diplomamills; exitexam; publicschools; suehappy; whiners; yourtaxdollarsatwork; youthtogether
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Study or sue?

Sue or Study?

Life is full of hard choices.

1 posted on 05/25/2006 10:18:50 AM PDT by SmithL
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To: SmithL

Insane,my son passed his exit exam as a sophmore. This yahoo wants to go to Berkley ? LMAO


2 posted on 05/25/2006 10:21:39 AM PDT by mmyers
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To: SmithL
I don't understand this. My son took the exam in his freshman or sophomore year. Why are they waiting until the last few months to test these kids. It's just basics. If there is a problem it should have been addressed years ago.
3 posted on 05/25/2006 10:21:50 AM PDT by CindyDawg
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To: mmyers
Insane,my son passed his exit exam as a sophmore. This yahoo wants to go to Berkley ? LMAO

Not only that, he considers that "earning" his way. What a clown.

4 posted on 05/25/2006 10:23:08 AM PDT by FoxInSocks
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To: SmithL
Now, again, they're robbing the students of their diplomas

The state and federal governments are robbing me of my money to "educate" these "students."

5 posted on 05/25/2006 10:24:05 AM PDT by thesharkboy
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To: mmyers

Yes, but your son didn't have illiterate illegal parents, so of course, we have to pass this young man for showing up to take the test so he can go to Berzerkly...just to make it "fair," doncha know.


6 posted on 05/25/2006 10:26:36 AM PDT by kittymyrib
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To: CindyDawg

Now let's see -

These tests have been around for some years.
These students have taken them and failed them repeatedly.
They knew that they weren't going to graduate - until the silly California Judge (is that a triple redundancy?) decided to suddenly allow them to.

Now they're back where they started, but they're shocked - absolutely crushed.

Don't sound too bright, do they? Oh, wait, aren't they the ones who kept failing the tests?


7 posted on 05/25/2006 10:26:36 AM PDT by lOKKI (You can ignore reality until it bites you in the ass)
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To: mmyers
This yahoo wants to go to Berkley ? LMAO

That was my first thought as well.

8 posted on 05/25/2006 10:28:04 AM PDT by ABG(anybody but Gore) ("By the time I'm finished with you, you're gonna wish you felt this good again" - Jack Bauer)
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To: thesharkboy

This is an example of political correctness serving as public policy.

The state set a public policy about setting certain minimal standards to get a high school diploma. Because some people for some reason can't meet that minimal standard, they find a judge to rule it unconstitutional and discriminatory. A mindset that reinstating this rule is "robbing" someone of their diploma is a mindset that thinks that you just can't have any standards at all. Any standard thus discriminates. And there is a sense of "entitlement", that one is "entitled" to that diploma whether one has met the mininum standards to graduate or not.

I'm speechless.


9 posted on 05/25/2006 10:28:54 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: SmithL
But the state Supreme Court's decision Wednesday to reinstate the exit exam has thrown Salvador's diploma in limbo, again.

BWAHAhahahaha! I guess that means he might have to start his career learning that toughest of all phrases "You want fries with that?"

10 posted on 05/25/2006 10:30:25 AM PDT by theDentist (Qwerty ergo typo : I type, therefore I misspelll. 17,400+ snide replies and counting!)
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To: theDentist
"I'm anxious, nervous. There's a lot on my shoulders," said Salvador, who dreams of attending UC Berkeley. "In a way, it'd be cool to let us graduate, but that wouldn't be the honest answer. I'd rather earn my way there."

He appears to have integrity.

11 posted on 05/25/2006 10:32:23 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife ("Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny. "--Aeschylus)
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To: thesharkboy

Basically, another indictment of the government-run education consortium.


12 posted on 05/25/2006 10:33:55 AM PDT by Kenny Bunkport (As the Democrat Party becomes more evil, the GOP becomes more stupid. What's a voter to do?)
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To: ABG(anybody but Gore)

My son is a 1/2 can, My wife is Mexican so he is 1/2 mexiCAN and 1/2 ameriCAN.


13 posted on 05/25/2006 10:35:58 AM PDT by mmyers
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To: SmithL
I found some sample questions in PDF format.

If a high school senior can't answer at least 60 percent of these multiple choice questions correctly, they certainly don't deserve a diploma -- assuming a diploma is something that should be deserved anymore.

And another thing, the reading comprehension sections in the English portion are so much propaganda: "Electric Cars Deserve a Second Look" and "California: A Tribute."

14 posted on 05/25/2006 10:40:08 AM PDT by FoxInSocks
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To: SmithL
This kid has it right: "In a way, it'd be cool to let us graduate, but that wouldn't be the honest answer. I'd rather earn my way there."
15 posted on 05/25/2006 10:40:47 AM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: FoxInSocks
Not only that, he considers that "earning" his way. What a clown.

I disagree. He didn't mean it financially, and the kid doesn't want an "entitlement" to graduate, he wants to earn his diploma, in part by passing the test. I say good for him.

16 posted on 05/25/2006 10:42:22 AM PDT by El Gato
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To: mmyers

I worked for a short while at Alta Bates Medical Center, just outside Berkley. My impression was that while some programs at Berkley were difficult to get into, there were a LOT of "special" cases that were allowed in.


17 posted on 05/25/2006 10:51:18 AM PDT by taxcontrol
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To: SmithL
"It's devastating news. Now, again, they're robbing the students of their diplomas," said Raúl Alcaraz, organizer of the Richmond High School branch of Youth Together, a social justice organization.

Your complaints would be better directed at the schools or the students themselves who robbed the students of an education over the last twelve years.

18 posted on 05/25/2006 10:54:32 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (Never ask a Kennedy if he'll have another drink. It's nobody's business how much he's had already.)
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To: El Gato
I disagree. He didn't mean it financially, and the kid doesn't want an "entitlement" to graduate, he wants to earn his diploma, in part by passing the test. I say good for him.

I know he didn't mean financially. I'm being somewhat cynical, but I doubt he'd turn down a high school diploma and enrollment at UC Berkeley after failing the exit exam again, if he didn't have to.

19 posted on 05/25/2006 11:06:18 AM PDT by FoxInSocks
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To: CindyDawg

They can take the test once as sophmores, twice as juniors, and three times as seniors. You only have to pass a test once, then you don't have to take it again (there are 2, english & social studies, math & science).

So this little dumbass has failed 4 times already and maybe a 5th, and he wants to go to Berkley? Do they have some sort of offspring of illegals quota?


20 posted on 05/25/2006 11:14:36 AM PDT by clilly54
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