"1 in 4 California students--and 1 in 3 in Los Angeles--quit school," reports the Los Angeles Times.
This made me go hunting for other ways students in California can graduate from high school or receive a diploma equivalent. Interestingly, California has a number of options. Students can take their GED as early as age 17 (but only within 60 days of their 18th birthday), or they can take the California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE). The CHSPE can be taken as early as 16 or after completing sophomore year (regardless of age!) with parental permission to stop attending school. While the GED tests reading, writing, math, science, and social studies, the CHSPE only tests reading, writing, and math. The CHSPE also differs from the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), which all students take for the first time in 10th grade and is required for graduation. Passing the CAHSEE is not equivalent to a diploma and tests in English language arts and math. Students have at least six opportunities to pass the CAHSEE--one in grade 10, two in grade 11, and three in grade 12. If a student continuously fails the CAHSEE, the state is required to provide extra assistance until he or she can pass.
Between all these alternative options and the number of dropouts, one wonders if anyone is actually graduating anymore. I commend the fine state of California for biting the bullet and publishing these numbers, troubling as they are, but I hope they won't spur more alternative education programs like the 2-hour-a-week (non) school the LA Board of Ed announced last week. Giving students options is great, but there is a line. California needs to be careful not to cross it.
