Abstract
Statement of Problem
Why do certain subgroups of students perform poorly on the CAHSEE, particularly socioeconomically disadvantaged students, minority students, English learners, and Special Education students? What intervention strategies are most effective for these subgroups of students in helping them pass the CAHSEE?
Sources of Data
Data were obtained from a local high school. Data collection consisted of student surveys, teacher interviews, and an interview with the principal of the school. Student surveys were given to both intervention and grade level classes, but student interviews focused on students that were part of the school's CAHSEE intervention program.
Conclusions Reached
The subgroups of students that traditionally perform poorly on the CAHSEE, socioeconomically disadvantaged students, minority students, English learners, and Special Education students seem to do so for a variety of reasons. Many of these students attend schools of lower quality, which have intervention programs that are not doing enough to help them pass the CAHSEE. In addition, many of these students are tracked into lower level classes where they are unable to practice higher level thinking skills. The intervention programs that have been shown to be most effective are those that start in elementary school. At the high school level, the intervention classes that have shown the best results are those that begin in ninth grade, rather than eleventh or twelfth grade, after a student has already failed the CAHSEE.