It is worth noting that the Governor signed SB 172 (Liu), suspending the administration of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) for the next three school years. Specifically, the bill:

• Suspends passing the CAHSEE as a graduation requirement for the 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18 school years
• Requires the governing body of a school district, county officer of education, or charter school to grant high school diploma to a pupil who has completed grade 12 in the 2003-04 school year, or a subsequent school year, and has met all applicable graduation requirements other than passing the CAHSEE
• Requires the State Superintendent to convene an advisory panel to provide recommendations on the continuation of the CAHSEE and on alternative pathways to satisfy the high school graduation requirements

SB 172 is a companion to SB 725 (Hancock), which suspended the CAHSEE as a graduation requirement for the 2014-15 school year and was signed by the Governor back in August.

For schools, this means through the 2017-18 school year, pupils will no longer be required to have passed the CAHSEE in order to graduate from high school. If a pupil completed grade 12 in the 2003-04 school year, or any subsequent school year though 2017-18, and has met all graduation requirements except for passing the CAHSEE, a school agency must grant the pupil his or her high school diploma. The CDE has also confirmed that this change applies to Adult Education students.

CDE’s CAHSEE Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) website: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/cahseesuspendfaq.asp