During sophomore year, every high school student takes the California High School Exit Exam. Students living in the state of California are required to take and pass the test in order to graduate. To pass, they must receive a score of 350 or higher on both the mathematics and English language section. By passing the exam, students will be able to receive their high school diploma and satisfy their graduation requirements, however things have changed.

The Governor of California, Jerry Brown, signed the Senate Bill 172, Which according to the California Legislative Information website, “5,000 students that didn’t pass the test are now not obligated to take the exam. The reason for the cancellation is because of a renewal of a contract with the testing company. The state Department of Education wanted to avoid spending millions of dollars to renew the expiring contract. A said reason why Brown agreed on signing the 172 bill is because he did not want students plans to be jeopardized by a test.”

With the CAHSEE now canceled, students that have not passed it can start their college careers. Once the 172 bill was signed, many high schools removed the exit exam as a graduation requirement. Once removed, students are able to accept their diplomas without cause. Representatives from other districts agree with the decision of Brown

“ The governor is making the right decision in our mind,” stated Troy Flint, and Oakland district spokesman, “He’s acting in favor of justice, in favor of equity and in favor of rewarding students for their hard work and providing them with the opportunity they’ve earned to achieve a brighter future.” Another great part of the exam being eliminated is that non-English speakers don’t have to struggle on a test score determining their graduation status.  

With no more CAHSEE testing, come more acceptance letters from universities but there are some problems with the cancellation. Some students from previous years are having difficulty with financial aid because of failure to receive their diploma with the bill being extremely new. The students from the class of 2015 are able to receive their diplomas but that is not the case for the class of 2014.