California High School Exit Examination
(CAHSEE)
INTERPRETATION GUIDE FOR THE STUDENT AND PARENT REPORT
2008-2009 Test Administrations
Purpose
This interpretation guide assists you in understanding the CAHSEE student and parent report. The
primary purpose of the CAHSEE is to help ensure that students who graduate from high school can
demonstrate minimum grade-level competency in the state content standards for reading, writing,
and mathematics. All California public school students must satisfy the CAHSEE requirement, as
well as all other graduation requirements, to receive a public high school diploma.
The following are guidelines for taking the CAHSEE:
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All grade ten students must take the CAHSEE during the census administrations of February or
March.
Grade eleven students may take the part(s) of CAHSEE not previously passed up to two times
per school year and may test in consecutive administrations (e.g., October and November).
Grade twelve may take the part(s) of CAHSEE not previously passed up to five times per school
year and may test in consecutive administrations.
Adult Education students may take the part(s) of CAHSEE not previously passed up to three
times per school year and may test in consecutive administrations.
No student who has previously passed the CAHSEE is eligible to retake the exam.
Content of the CAHSEE
The CAHSEE has two parts: English-Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics.
The ELA part addresses state content standards through grade ten and covers six major areas
(strands):
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Word Analysis
Reading Comprehension
Literary Response and Analysis
Writing strategies
Writing Conventions
Writing Comprehension
The mathematics part addresses state content standards in grades six and seven and Algebra I and
covers five major areas (strands):
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Probability and Statistics
Number Sense
Algebra and Functions
Measurement and Geometry
Algebra I
The Score Report
The student and parent score report includes information about your student’s most recent
performance on the CAHSEE. The top portion of the report includes general information about your
student. The lower portion of the report contains total test scores for ELA and mathematics as well as
student performance on each of the strands of ELA and mathematics. If a student takes only one test,
only information on that test is available.
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Test Scores
• Total score/Scale score
o “Total score” is the scaled score that your student receives on a test.
o A “scale score” is a score adjusted for the small difference in the difficulty levels of the test
given in different test administrations. The scale scores for both ELA and mathematics
range from 275 to 450. Scale scores can be used to compare students’ performance
across administrations or across years.
• Passing Score/Status
o The passing score for both ELA and mathematics is 350.
o Whether your student passes the CAHSEE is indicated in “Status”. If the total score is 350
or higher, it will be marked as “Passed”. If the total score is less than 350, it will be
marked as “Not Passed”. If your student has taken one test in a previous administration
and passed it, it will be indicated as “Satisfied Requirement”.
o If your student took the CAHSEE with modifications, see the subsection “Taking the
CAHSEE with Modifications” for more information.
• Strands
o “Number of Questions” is the number of questions in a strand.
o “Number Correct” is the number of questions in a strand that your student answered
correctly.
• Score for Writing Applications
o The score for Writing Applications shows the total number of points that your student
received on the essay. Each essay receives two scores on a four-point scale, with 1 being
the lowest score and 4 being the highest. The average of the two scores is reported.
Students can also receive a “non-scorable” (NS) score if they do not write enough to
score, write off the topic, write illegibly, or write in a language other than English.
Taking the CAHSEE with Modifications
If your student took one or two parts of CAHSEE with modifications specified in the Individualized
Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 plan, the scores will be marked as “modified”. Examples of
modifications include dictionaries, calculators, oral presentation of test questions, arithmetic tables,
and word processing software using spell and grammar check tools. Taking the CAHSEE with
modifications changes what is being tested. If your student’s score was 350 or higher using a
modification, your student may be eligible for a waiver of the CAHSEE requirement. A waiver of the
CAHSEE is the option of the local school authority. You should contact your school administrator for
information regarding the waiver process.
Note
When looking at a student’s score report, keep in mind that many factors must be considered,
including other test scores, grades, the student’s work, and teacher evaluations. Please contact your
school for more information about a student’s academic performance and ways you can help him or
her to succeed.
You may obtain copies of study guides at your school, or for selected test questions and additional
information about the CAHSEE, go to the California Department of Education Web page at:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/resources.asp.
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