California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) helps identify students’ level of profi ciency in English/language arts and mathematics. As of last year, no student received a public high school diploma without having passed the CAHSEE in addition to meeting local district’s requirements for graduation. Students generally take the test as sophomores and then again each year until they pass.

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is used to determine which schools are making progress toward the goals set in the federally mandated, No Child Left Behind Act. AYP status is calculated using a number of indicators, including Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) programs such as the California Standards Tests (CSTs), California’s High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), and the California Alternative Performance Assessment (CAPA). Requirement 1: Schools must test 95 percent of their students each year. Requirement 2: Certain percentages of students must be deemed at least profi cient or advanced on standardized tests. Requirement 3: Schools must achieve a score of 590 or show one point of growth on the annual API. Requirement 4: The last requirement which applies only to high schools is that 82.9 percent of students must graduate or there must be a .1 percent increase in the graduation rate versus the previous year, or improvement in the rate of at least 0.2 percent in the average two year rate.