(June 8, 2003) -- As LBReport.com reported on June 5, the CA Assembly has passed AB 356 which would (among other things) defer the CA High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) requirement for two years. Under current law, the High School Exit Exam will be required for High School graduates starting in '04 unless the State Bd. of Education says otherwise.

AB 356, sponsored by the CA Teachers Association, would trump the State Bd. of Education in deferring the Exit Exam requirement...but would let local school districts decide what part the CAHSEE exam should pay in their individual graduation requirements.

So...on June 5, we asked all LBUSD School Board candidates via email: If you were on the LB School Board, would you vote to require that LBUSD high school students be required to pass the CAHSEE exam starting in 2004 to receive a high school diploma from LBUSD?

We post responses received below. We'll update this page if others are received.

• Norm Ryan: Short answer is yes, I would vote to keep passage of the Exit exam a requirement for graduation. If we can't do it now, there is no logical reason to believe that we can pass kids two years from now.

• Richard Green: I support rigorous academic programs and testing, but the graduation exam requirement has been mandated pre-maturely. I would request a study to determine what the District should be doing to provide every opportunity to our students to successfully pass this exam. Students deserve adequate resources like smaller classrooms, fully credentialed teachers before we require them to pass the exit exam.

• Gary DeLong: ...I am in support of any measure that encourages school districts to ensure that students have a 12th grade education before receiving a high school diploma. Accordingly, I would vote for requiring that LBUSD high school students pass the CAHSEE exam starting in 2004 to receive a high school diploma from LBUSD. However, I am concerned that schools are currently teaching children how to take tests, rather than providing a well rounded quality education. It is important that the CAHSEE exam accurately measures the education a child has received, rather than be just one more test to study for.

• Marilyn Russell-Bittle: I am basically opposed to any single standard based test or criterion based test as the sole determiner of the granting of a diploma. I am not opposed to exit exams and high standards for achieving a diploma. The curriculum must be in place that will assure that all students will have a program that will be meaningful for them and lead to a successful completion of four years of high school.

• Andy Nagle: No response received.

• Yolanda Benavidez: No response received.

• Jon Meyer: No response received.