Identifying academic problems early, at least by middle school, and proving intervention can boost overall achievement and high school graduation particularly for English Language Learners.

California law requires that students pass The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in order to graduate from high school. This exam is the only part of the extensive accountability system that has direct consequences for students, and researchers at the Public Policy Institute of California recently studied what can be done to help raise the skills of students at risk of failing this crucial exam. The findings are available here.

The exam itself tests math at grade level 8 and English at grade 10 level; current legislation is targeted at student in grade 12 and those 2 years beyond grade 12 who failed the exam. The California Public Policy Research report aims to demonstrate that it is possible to identify accurately elementary school students who are at risk of failing the CAHSEE. Using the San

Diego Unified School District, the study’s authors learned how to forecast who will pass and who will not, and to identify factors that may improve students’ chances of passing.

About 10 percent of students in San Diego failed the CAHSEE at the end of the 1006-06 school year, but district officials believe many would have failed to graduate even in the absence of the exit exam since they had trouble with requirements and grades. Large numbers who did pass did so by a narrow margin, raising the question of how students who can barely pass an exit exam at grade 8 math levels can prosper in the workforce.

The research findings, according to the study’s authors, are relevant for 2 groups: Parents, teachers, and school administrators; and district and state policymakers and state legislators. The key questions are “What interventions can boost the achievement of those struggling with the exam and when should these interventions begin?”

Findings and implication include several indicators that school officials could use to intervene selectively to help students before high school. For instance, English Language Learner (ELL) status “should not be a matter of great concern for younger students,” but if the student reaches middle school and is still an English Language Learner, that status is a strong predictor of failure on the exit exam. Interestingly, in San Diego, Vietnamese-speaking English Language Learners did better than other ELL students.

The researchers found that the last-minute interventions currently in place are not sufficient; focus needs to be on earlier grades versus grade 12 and post-grade-12 learners. Early intervention, the authors state, “could improve students’ trajectories throughout the rest of their academic careers, for instance by boosting their achievement, reducing the chances that they will be retained a grade, increasing academic engagement, and, especially for English Learners, boosting reading ability in a way that will benefit students’ ability to digest material in all other subject areas.”