FERMIN LEAL/EDSOURCE TODAY

FERMIN LEAL/EDSOURCE TODAY

State lawmakers take sent a nib to Gov. Jerry Brown that would let school districts to retroactively award diplomas to high schoolhouse students who failed the California Loftier School Exit Exam.

The Senate voted 23-14 on Thursday to support Senate Bill 172, which would award diplomas for students who were attempting to graduate every bit far back as 2006, when the leave exam became a requirement for graduation. The state Assembly had already passed the bill before in the calendar week.

The proposed law would only touch on students who met all other graduation requirements but could not laissez passer the exit exam. Students would accept to contact their individual school districts to determine if they authorize.

The state is no longer administering the exit exam after its contract with the test's publisher was set to expire in October. May was the last fourth dimension the exam was given to students.

"A big number of adult students continue to work toward their diploma," said Sen. Carol Liu, D-La Cañada Flintridge, author of the bill.

Students in adult education were allowed to go on taking the exit exam several times, fifty-fifty years after they were supposed to graduate from loftier school.

Land Sen. Bob Huff, R-San Dimas, and some Republican lawmakers opposed SB 172 because they said it "cheapened" the value of diplomas for students who earned them by passing the go out examination.

"I do believe exit exam has served a noble purpose," Huff said. "Information technology's something that we have equally measure to evidence that students have met some sort of requirement. It'southward a dumb move (to retroactively honor diplomas) and I oppose it."

SB 172 originally called for the country to suspend the get out exam in the 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 schoolhouse years and eliminating it as a graduation requirement during that time. Meanwhile, lawmakers and educators would determine if the country should create a new version that's aligned with the Common Core Country Standards, or eliminate it altogether as a graduation requirement.

Lawmakers added the provision final month to retroactively grant diplomas to any student who met all graduation requirements except for passing the exit exam.

Three weeks ago, Gov. Dark-brown signed legislation that exempted students from the graduating course of 2022 from having to accept the exam in response to a snafu that left thousands of seniors without the ability to have the test in July and in subsequent attempts this fall and spring.

Brown could consider signing SB 172 as early as side by side week. He has not publicly indicated whether he would support the pecker.

Robert Oakes, a spokesman for Liu's role, said the governor's office has worked with Liu's team to add the provision to award retroactive diplomas. Oakes said he anticipates Brownish volition sign the legislation.

Between 2006 and 2014, almost 249,000 students, or almost 6 pct of test-takers, did not pass the exit test earlier the stop of their senior twelvemonth, according to data from the Man Resources Research Organization, or HumRRO, an independent evaluator commissioned by the country to review results of the go out examination each year. That data shows that near of those students as well lacked sufficient credits or high enough grades to earn a diploma fifty-fifty if they had passed the exit examination. HumRRO estimates that between one and iv pct of seniors met all graduation requirements except for the exit exam.

Students who failed the exit examination simply met all other graduation requirements were often awarded certificates of accomplishment, a diploma-similar document.

Still, many were prevented from applying to some iv-year colleges, vocational preparation programs, or armed services service or for jobs that required a loftier school diploma.

If Brown signs the legislation, it would go into outcome Jan. i.

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