According to the California Department of Education, the CASHEE "is aligned to the California academic content standards in English-language arts and mathematics adopted by the State Board of Education" ("California," 2011).
Aptitude or Achievement?
The CASHEE is an achievement test because it measures what students have learned, as opposed to what their potential for learning is. Although it is designed to help prepare high school students to do well in college in the sense that it ensures that they have the basic skills they need before they graduate high school, it does not test or attempt to predict how well they will do in college.
Is it a Standardized Test?
It is a standardized test because it is designed to meet state content standards, and also because it is graded electronically and objectively. In other words, there is no subjective assessment involved such as how well the student writes an essay. It is all multiple choice.
Assessment Bias
As with all standardized tests, there is concern that the CASHEE is biased against students with learning disabilities, as well as students for whom English is a second language. Of additional concern is that regardless of their educational background, minority students' standardized test scores are...
According to Heneg (2001) this indicates that standardized testing introduces a cultural bias against minority students: "Eighty-four percent of minority students fall below the mean score, primarily because these tests are constructed by individuals who are unfamiliar with minority cultures, making bias in style and content of the testing instrument inevitable" (Heneg, 2001, p. 51).
Data Driven Decisions
Seniors who pass the CASHEE receive a high school diploma. Those who do not pass only receive a certificate of graduation.
References
"California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Apportionment," (2011) California Department of Education, Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/profile.asp?id=939
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/overview.asp
Cooper, B.S., Fusarelli, L.D., & Randall, E.V. (2004). Better policies, better schools: theories and application. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Heneg, J.R. (2001) the color of school reform: race, politics, and the challenge of urban education, Princeton University Press
"Overview of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE)." (2011) California Department of Education, Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/overview.asp
