Sandy Nguyen

Julia Remsik Larsen

English 120-040
9 February 2015
Position Paper
As a recent high school graduate, I am able to relate to the stressful situation of being
required to take and pass graduation exit exams. The Standard Based Assessment (SBA) and the
End of Course (EOC) exams were basically my ticket to receiving my diploma. In order to
graduate with a high school diploma, students must score proficient on every subject in each
exam in order to do so, if otherwise; students will only receive a certificate of completion. My
graduating class was the second to have been required of meeting the standards of passing the
exit examinations, following class 2013. This requirement was first initiated not long after
Governor Susana Martinez was elected, back in 2011. The main purpose of this is to prepare
students for the next grade level and determine whether or not high school seniors will be
graduating based off the scoring of proficiency on each subject the exams provide. I believe that
these standardized tests should not determine a students graduation status. There are students
who do well on exams, and there are also those who have test anxieties that dont do as well as
others.
Looking forward to summer break, senior year, graduation, and college are a few of the
things students anticipate at the end of junior year. It is a time where soon-to-be seniors catch the
feeling of relief, releasing the stress off their shoulders and preparing for the summer and all the

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fun senior year has to hold. But in the case that I would like to discuss, New Mexicos soon-to-be
seniors are required to take and pass state standardized tests in order to be able to graduate; not
the fun that was anticipated at all. To put into perspective, my graduating class was expecting to
take the SBA and only the SBA junior year, until near the end of the first semester of our senior
year, it was announced that we were required to take the EOC. The EOC consisted of subjects
that werent on the SBA, such as, government, economics, biology, physics, and chemistry. This
was considered as a fallback for those who failed the SBA, although, the EOC was more
difficult.
Before the requirement was initiated in 2011, the only things that determined students
graduation qualifications were their grades and the amount of credits that were required to
graduate. The SBA was still required to be taken by third graders, as well as the following
grades; however, it was more of a way to evaluate teachers and students performances near the
end of the year. Ever since the SBA became a requirement towards graduation, statistics has
shown the state of New Mexicos graduation rate decreasing, moving our state to the 48th place in
the nation (Education). I believe that with the pressure that is being given to students on these
exit exams are decreasing the test scores compared to how it was a few years back; before it was
considered a requirement. According to the Albuquerque Journal, the SBA scores have decreased
and are now lower than it was five years ago, and with this upcoming spring semester, the SBA
will be replaced by the newly adopted exam, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for
College and Careers (PARCC). The PARCC exam is a computer based assessment that is said to
be more challenging for the students (Swedien). If these graduation exit exams are getting more
difficult compared to the last, how will it help decrease the states dropout rates and increase
graduation rates?

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On the contrary, some may argue that the standardized tests are a good thing for students,
teachers and the state itself. The tests are set to encourage students to achieve basic competency
in core subjects and to make the high school diploma meaningful (High School). Over the
years, there were more job offers than today that did not require a high school diploma, for
instance, fast food restaurant, McDonalds. Although, there have been some changes,
McDonalds has recently changed its policy. A high school diploma is required for the job now.
This is a role that the exit exams will play in; the exams are a way for high school diplomas to be
viewed as something valuable in the market.
A high school graduation is generally viewed as the minimal goal in education. Saddler
writes, Individuals who leave school early face hardships relative to employment. The
graduation exams are a way to put students in preparations of college and/or the work world. Its
purpose is to evaluate the skills as well as the knowledge of high school students, and ensuring
employers to view diplomas as a valuable piece in the labor market (Barnes). As for students
who are in elementary and middle school, the standardized tests are set to evaluate their learning
throughout the school year, and to see whether or not they are prepared enough for the next grade
level.
These assessments are a way to improve the nations educational ranking by encouraging
students to do well, study and prepare for the exam, since New Mexico is ranked 48th in the
nation. Barnes stated, Exit exams hinder some students; on the other hand, they are helping
administrators and teachers to become accountable for the instruction being delivered in school.
The purpose of the requiring these exams arent for students to fail given the fact why high
school students are granted a chance to retake the exams months before the students graduation
date. Aiming to move up ahead on the nations educational ranking is the states goal, allowing

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students to be ready for post-secondary education. However, requiring challenging standardized

tests yearly may be a more difficult way to do so. With so many tests and the difficulty each tests
has and very little time to prepare for it, students starts to get overwhelmed, including the
teachers. The pressure arent just put on the students, it is also put onto the teachers; preparing
for the students and focusing more on test preparations rather than actually teaching the students.
Of course there are both pros and cons to the case of high school exit examinations. It is a
good way to increase New Mexicos educational ranking in the nation, as well as the states
graduation rate. Although, there are other ways to do so instead of requiring more and more
rigorous tests every year without any notice of the change, not just months before the exam
dates. Using the scores to measure whether or not a student should graduate despite of the grades
they receive, students may start to believe that their classes arent as important as these exams
which could then cause their grade point average to drop preventing them from getting accepted
into colleges. Replacing the requirement of these difficult exams for students, the finals at the
end of each semester should be put into consideration as a graduation ticket instead, not tests that
determines a students future, rather their own accomplishments throughout the four years of
high school. These standardized tests only illustrates how well ones skills are on memorization
is, it does not measure intelligence.

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Works Cited
"Education." New Mexico Association of Grantmakers. New Mexico Association of
Grantmakers, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2015. <http://www.nmag.org/philanthropy-newmexico/new-mexico-issues/education>.
Barnes, Teresa. "Exit Exams: Decreases or Increases the Dropout Rate." ERIC (U.S. Department
of Education Policy). N.p., 19 Aug. 2009. Web. 12 Feb. 2015. <http://eric.ed.gov/?
q=newmexico high school exit exam&id=ED506296>.
"High School Exit Exams: Issues to Consider." GreatSchools. GreatSchools, n.d. Web. 13 Feb.
2015. <http://www.greatschools.org/students/academic-skills/587-high-school-exitexams-issues.gs?page=all>.
Hyslop, Anne. "The Case Against Exit Exams." New America Archives. The New America
Foundation, 15 July 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/the_case_against_exit_exams>.
Saddler, Sterling, Tiffany G. Tyler, Cecilia Maldonado, Roger Cleveland, and Lisa K. Thompson.
"Connecting Dropouts to Career Pathways." Reclaiming Children and Youth 20.2
(2011): 37-39. Print.
Swedien, Jon. "SBA Test Scores in NM Are Lower Now than Five Years Ago." ABQJournal
Online. Albuquerque Journal, 4 Aug. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.abqjournal.com/440380/news/sba-scores-in-nm-lower-now-than-5-yearsago.html>.