To Pass the CAHSEE is to Pass at Life

"California Students match record pass rate in high school exit exam" 
Current Event of September 19, 2014
From Los Angeles Times

Education in a Nutshell

               In recent news, students in California's public school system are continuing to improve at standardized testing. The California High School Exit Examination, also known as the CAHSEE, is used to asses the skills of all of the students in the state on a generalized playing field and is required for graduation. Sophomores are administered the test and they have until the end of their high school career to pass. Since the exam was implemented in 2006, the pass rate has increased by five percent across the board. It is currently around 95 percent. African American, Asian, Latino, and white students have all either remained equally proficient or improved upon the last years. Minorities are closing the gap between their pass rates and those of the white students. In other words, public schools are doing significantly better as the years go on. 
             The CAHSEE relates to the how education is being valued in America during this time. The easiest way for the state to test proficiency in a subject is through standardized testing, but that is not always the most accurate portrayal of the truth. The federal government continues to value results, as it did while No Child Left Behind was still enacted. The test scores are what matter because America wants to look better than the rest of the world when it comes to education. Pride comes into play and what is upsetting is that schools teach to the test, so that they can satisfy the state, and therefore the country. The federal government should care more about practical skills than how well a student can fill in the required bubbles. The education system still has some kinks to be worked out before any real progress is made.