Another 4,500 Students Pass Exit Exam

Sacramento, CA — Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O´Connell says another 4,500 seniors in the Class of 2006 have passed the controversial high school exit exam.

That means they can graduate with their class. Still, nearly one in ten seniors still hasn´t passed the basic math and English test requirement.

Nearly two-thirds of them are Hispanic. And O´Connell says black students and those from poor families are also falling behind their white peers.

A court battle over the exam has created confusion for seniors and school districts in recent weeks after an Alameda County Superior Court judge halted the exam requirement to graduate.

The state Supreme Court reversed that decision last week, sending the case to an appeals court and essentially halting debate over the exam for this year. The justices sent another case to that court yesterday.