SANTA MARIA, Calif- Recent results on the statewide high school exit exam are a positive sign the hard work is paying off in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District where results reflect consistent growth in the past few years.
"It's an exam that the students are motivated to take", says SMJUHSD Asst. Superintendent John Davis, "they really want to try hard, that's not the case will all state assessments, but it is with the exit exam, so the kids show up for that exam and they want to do well."
While the SMJUHSD lags a few points behind the statewide average, few high school districts face the same challenges with testing as they do in the Santa Maria district.
"We get lots of students in this district who come to us with very little formal schooling, many, many year behind grade level fluency in their primary language", Davis says, "we have roughly from the time they walk in our doors as freshmen, we have about 13 or 14 months of academic work to get them prepared to pass this exam and it's a huge challenge."
Other high school districts in San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County have also had positive growth in recent exit exam results.
