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Case Studies
Santana High School Uses Chariot Online Test Prep System To Improve Student CAHSEE Performance
Administrators at Santana High School in Santee, CA are celebrating, and for good reason. Their November 2002
California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) test results are in, showing improved or passing scores for 66% of
the students that participated in the school’s CAHSEE Intervention Program.
The Santana Intervention Program
In October 2002, results from the June 2002 CAHSEE test indicated that 165 Santana students needed to re-take
the test due to failing scores. So, just four weeks before the next test date in November, they developed the
Intervention Program, which consisted of four voluntary Saturday study sessions, and the Chariot CAHSEE Test
Prep System.
WebTest is a proven Internet-based test prep system that ensures students get the help
they need where they need it most. The content is correlated to state standards, and covers the same
curriculum presented in the CAHSEE. Students can study specific topics online, and then take a series of
pre- and post-study tests to assess their knowledge and progress.
The main goal of Santana’s Intervention Program was to provide an individual yet efficient study program for each student. “Different kids have different needs,” said Rob Kopp, the Intervention Program facilitator. “And we only had so much time, so we wanted to avoid the drill-and-kill lecture format, and instead hone in on specific remediation areas for each individual student. Since the WebTest system provides immediate feedback and scoring, students were able to spend more time studying the things they didn’t know.”
The Proof Is In The Numbers
Of the 30 students that participated in the Intervention Program, 66% either passed or improved their test
scores. Santana’s overall standing is up also. As the first high school in its district to host an
Intervention Program, Santana is now third in ranking for district CAHSEE test scores.
From The Students Point of View
Of course, the biggest obstacle of making the Intervention Program a success was getting students interested
in studying on their free Saturdays. Randy Montesanto, Santana’s Vice Principal, personally contacted all
165 students to encourage them to participate in the Program. “My main objective was to get the students and
their parents to recognize the importance of the exam,” Montesanto said. “As soon as they realized they
wouldn’t graduate high school without a passing score, they were much more motivated.” According to Kopp,
“once the students used the WebTest system, they really enjoyed studying because it gave them hands-on
experience and immediate results. It really made them feel like their time was well spent, and that they had
made progress.”
“Studying online is much better than having a teacher stand up and tell me something I already know” said one
Santana Intervention Program student. “And it’s so easy.”
Reducing Test Preparation Costs
Using the WebTest system also saved Santana High School time and money. From an administrative standpoint,
since the system automatically provides immediate feedback, no time was wasted on grading. And, since all
studying and sample testing takes place onscreen, there was no need to purchase expensive hard-copy workbooks.
“Santana had originally budgeted $3,500 for consumables for the Program,” said Kopp. “But we quickly realized
that students found it easier to use the materials online, so we didn’t need to spend this money.”
El Monte Union High
Raises CAHSEE Scores District-Wide
When administrators at El Monte Union High School District reviewed the district's 2002 CAHSEE scores, they knew they needed to take action to raise their scores. Faced with the vast majority of their students failing both portions of the CAHSEE, they sought out resources that could affordably help address the issue.
"When we received our initial CAHSEE scores, it was clear we had a lot of work to do." said L.R., a district administrator. "Our initial scores were very low, so we needed to aggressively address the problem without breaking our budget." That is when they learned about the Chariot CAHSEE preparation service.
After reviewing all of the available options, they decided upon Chariot's service. Using the service, they were able to identify the specific standards that represented district wide weaknesses. Armed with that information, they were able to align their curriculum to reinforce those areas. Once that was done, they used eth service to identify which students were ready to score highly, those that needed brush up and those that needed individual instruction.
"This really allows us to use our budget wisely," commented LR, "The students hate having
to sit through review classes when they have mastered most of the standards. So, using the Chariot's CAHSEE preparation service allows us to group together students needing a full review class and let the others use the self paced study center."
Since implementing the service in 2002, district wide test scores have risen over 300% in math and over 80% in English.
Lynwood Unified
Standardizes District-Wide On Chariot CAHSEE Preparation
Initial CAHSEE test scores at Lynwood Unified were low,
so they instituted a traditional intervention program for all students. After one year, the fiscal impact was significant enough that other programs were jeopardized. "We were spending a significant amount on extra classes, but we were not improving fast enough. Some of our schools ended up on Program Improvement and that caused our parents to begin voicing concerns," said a District administrator. "It really aggravated matters when students would go home and complain to their parents that they were sitting through material that they already knew."
The district was also faced with potentially losing their Title One funds if there wasn't dramatic improvement. Having tried a traditional route, they began searching for affordable alternatives. After evaluating the options, they decided upon Chariot Software's CAHSEE preparation service. "We received funds to assist our PI schools, but with the Chariot service, we were able to provide a solution for our entire district for the price of a traditional program at those schools. The kids loved using the computer to prepare for the CAHSEE. Several of them even mentioned it was more like having fun than studying," said CD, one of the Lynwood High School teachers.
After the service was in place, students and teachers were able to learn the system in one class period. The reception was so positive, parents began calling to praise the district's efforts. "In response to multiple parent calls, we decided we to set up a presentation for our parents. Since the common theme was the CAHSEE, NCLB and PI, we decided that would be our central focus,' said CY, a district administrator. "Chariot Software was kind enough to help us in creating a presentation about the CAHSEE and where it fits into NCLB. Helping the parents understand the whole picture and what we were doing really alleviated parental concerns", she concluded.
Since starting with the Chariot CAHSEE preparation service, test scores have doubled in ELA and
more than tripled in Math.
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