La Costa Canyon High School

The California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) is a graduation requirement for all public school students. Eligible students with disabilities are exempt. The exam consists of two parts: English–language arts and mathematics.

The primary purpose of the CAHSEE is to make sure that students who graduate from high school can show that they are performing at grade level on California’s content standards. The content standards on the CAHSEE include reading, writing, and mathematics. Standards describe what students should know and be able to do at each grade level from kindergarten through grade twelve.

English–Language Arts

The English–language arts part of the CAHSEE tests California’s English–language arts content standards through grade ten. The reading section includes vocabulary, decoding, comprehension, and analysis of informational and literary texts. This section includes about 50 percent literary texts and 50 percent informational texts. The writing section covers writing strategies, applications, and the conventions for standard English (e.g., grammar, spelling, and punctuation). The CAHSEE English–language arts portion includes 79 multiple-choice questions. Seven are field-test questions and are not scored. This section also includes one writing task (essay).

The reading section covers:

• Word analysis, fluency, and systematic vocabulary development
• Informational reading comprehension
• Literary response and analysis

The writing section covers:

• Writing strategies
• Writing applications
• Written and oral English language conventions

Mathematics

The mathematics part of the CAHSEE tests California’s mathematics content standards in grades six and seven and Algebra I (at LCCHS, Algebra I is incorporated into the Integrated Math 1).

The mathematics portion covers:

• Statistics, data analysis, and probability
• Number sense
• Measurement and geometry
• Algebra and functions
• Mathematical reasoning
• Algebra I

Students must demonstrate computational skills and a foundation of knowledge in arithmetic. These skills include working with decimals, fractions, and percentages.

The CAHSEE mathematics portion includes 92 multiple-choice questions. Twelve questions are field-test questions and are not scored.

More information about the number and types of questions covered on the CAHSEE can be found in the CAHSEE exam blueprints and released test questions. These documents are located on the CDE CAHSEE Program Resources Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/resources.asp.