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California high school students hafta pass a test called the exit exam. This test quizzes students on material that is deemed to be a normal part of a high school education. Regardless of GPA, student activities, or how much money your father donates to the football program, all students are expected to pass it--and those who don't will not receive a high school diploma.

This week, the Orange County Register had a detailed story discussing 66 local students who met their school's requirements to graduate--but were unable to pass the test. And, of course, lawsuits are being filled as we speak. For the majority of the students, English is not their native language and they believe that they're be discriminated against because of it.

Now, I hate to be a cynic (who am I kidding--I love being a cynic), but is being able to speak, read, and write basic English part of the high school curriculum? I mean, is it wrong for us as a society to expect all high school graduates--the lowest level of education anyone can complete--to be able to communicate in English? I know we live in a multicultural society, but last time I checked, we do require a basic grasp of the English language to communicate ('cept for New Yorkers).

I hate lawyers--but I guess that just puts me in the norm. But to argue that because some of these students are on the honor roll or have GPAs higher than 3.0 they should be exempt is ludicrous. That's the point of the exit exam--to make sure the students are actually getting a high school education.

I gotta laugh at the emphasis placed on GPA in our education system. Is there anything more faulty and arbitrary than the grade point average scheme? In my vast and distinguished education experience, I can honestly tell you the higher the grade I got in a class, the less I learned. Why? Because if I got a high grade, the class was freaking easy. In high school, the only class I took that I actually learned something was physics--and I finished with a D and an F. The hard classes, well, it's hard to get good grades--that's where you're actually learning something. Those were the grades I earned--not the A's I got in PE

If there's a student out there who keeps getting A's and B's in English but can't pass the English section of the exit exam, it greatly has me question what did they do to get those A's and B's. Those who have actually set foot in a high school classroom would know that teachers grade on a curve, offer extra credit, and generally give good grades to the students they like--which would explain my high school GPA (I'll letcha interpret that however you wish).

There's a lot of things wrong with the education system and standardized testing. But asking the students to be able to read and write English isn't one of them.

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2006