California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE)

1. California High SchoolExit Exam(CAHSEE) 10th Grade

2. General Information • Test Dates for 10th graders • March 13th, 2012: English Language Arts • March 14th, 2012: Mathematics • If you do not take, or if you fail one or both of the March exams, you will have only 4 opportunities to pass the CAHSEE before your graduation date.

3. Test Information: Multiple Choice • 79 Multiple Choice questions. • Only 72 actually count (7 are thrown out) • Each multiple choice question has four possible choices (A, B, C, D) only one of which is correct. • Always look for the “BEST” answer • Multiple choice section is worth 80% of overall score • Multiple choice exam is untimed.

4. Test Information: The Essay • Essay is worth 20% of overall score [approx. 18 pts.] • You MUST write an essay to pass • Essay is scored on a 1 to 4 grading scale • Remember who your audience is (a retired, female teacher, 70 yrs.) • Essay section is also untimed. • Essay prompt can be any of the following: • Persuasive • Business Letter • Response to fiction or nonfiction • Expository • Biographical/Personal narrative • Check your prompt as soon as you open the booklet. It’s always at the end of the booklet. Think about it. Talk about it with friends during break (No one can stop you!)

5. Test Information • Multiple choice = 72 points • Essay = 18 points • Total points possible = 90 (72 + 18 = 90) • Passing is 60% of 90 points (approx. 55) • Score range is 250 – 450 • 350 is passing • Pass or Not Passed only • You only retake the exams you fail.

6. Getting Ready for the Exam • Get a good night’s sleep (approx. 8 hrs.) • Eat a nutritious breakfast (protein!!!) • Bring quiet snacks (nothing too crunchy) • Bring a bottle of water • Dress in layers. Cold in morning, but gym heats up in afternoon. • You will not be allowed any purses or backpacks near your seating area. Bring things in your pockets (snacks, water, highlighter, etc.)

7. Test Strategies • DO NOT RUSH! Every answer counts. • Read each passage and the corresponding questions carefully. • Answer every question: leave none unanswered. Better to “guess” than leave any question unanswered. • You can write in the test booklet!!! • For the reading sections, write brief notes in the margins of each paragraph to remind yourself of main ideas.

8. Test Strategies (Continued) • Underline, highlight, or circle key words that identify the important ideas in each paragraph. • A frequently asked question on the exam is “What is the main idea of the selection?” Remember, “selection” means the paragraph or story you just read. • Always read all four answer choices before you choose the one you think answers the question best. • Always reread things you don’t understand until you understand them. Especially poems!!!

9. Test Strategies (Continued) • Pre-read the test questions and all four possible answers before reading the selection. It will help you focus your reading. • Avoid the temptation to answer the questions without reading the passages. • Remember, words can have more than one possible meaning. When you are asked the meaning of a word, it needs to be the meaning of the word in the context of the selection, not any other meaning.

10. Test Strategies (Continued) • There may be words you don’t understand. You can still get the right answers even when you don’t know the meaning of all of the vocabulary. Look for context clues!!! • When you write the essay, organize it first. A brainstorm and outline would be the best way to organize your thoughts before you start writing your essay. • Use any available space in the booklet to brainstorm and outline.

11. Test Strategies (Continued) • Use the process of elimination to find some answers. Cross out any answer you know for sure are wrong. It’s easier to choose from two than four possible answers. • All multiple choice questions use “distracters” to distract you away from the correct answer. Look out for them. • Go back to the selection and “find the answers,” don’t just guess. This test is too important to fail.

12. Information Tested: • Different types of reading passages are presented. You need to understand the following: • Fiction (stories, novel excerpts, etc.) • Non-fiction (articles, journals, advertisements) • Poetry • Drama • Functional documents • Charts and Graphs

13. Information Tested • Other questions will check your mastery of: • Grammar • Spelling • Punctuation • Capitalization • Sentence structure (run-ons, comma splices, etc.) • Paragraph structure • Essay structure • Research techniques and strategies

14. Again!!!! The Essay • Check the essay out at the beginning! • You will have several breaks before your write the essay. • Talk to friends about how they might answer the prompt. • Get some ideas together!!! • But don’t forget to brainstorm and outline. • Thesis Thesis Thesis!!!! • Use parts of the prompt in your opening paragraph.

15. Reminder on how to Get Ready for the Exam • Get a good night’s sleep (approx. 8 hrs.) • Eat a nutritious breakfast (protein!!!) • Bring quiet snacks (nothing too crunchy) • Bring a bottle of water • Dress in layers. Cold in morning, but gym heats up in afternoon. • You will not be allowed any purses or backpacks near your seating area. Bring things in your pockets (snacks, water, highlighter, etc.)