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Help Available For High School Testing

Free guidance program made available by grant to be administered by COC.

[view:node_ad=5] This spring
College of the Canyons, in collaboration with the William S. Hart Union
High School District, will introduce a program designed to help
students pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) — and ultimately move forward with their educational goals and dreams.
 
The result of a grant to the college worth as much as $206,000 from the
state Chancellor’s Office CAHSEE preparation fund, this free program is
designed to give students from the class of 2008, who have met all
requirements for graduation but have not yet passed the CAHSEE, an
additional opportunity to prepare for the exam in a focused,
individualized and nurturing setting.
 
“College of the Canyons and the William S. Hart Union High School
District are committed to further developing and implementing this
program at the community college level,” said Jennifer Brezina, the
college’s interim dean, noncredit division and community education.
“This partnership will allow students the opportunity to utilize both
the college and the Hart District’s educational resources to obtain the
skills needed to complete their high school degrees and move forward in
their lives and academic careers.”

Through a combination of coursework, workshops and intensive
counseling, the college’s CAHSEE preparation program will seek to
provide unique educational opportunities for students to learn basic
math and English skills — while also decreasing test-taking anxiety by
familiarizing students with the procedural aspects of the oftentimes
intimidating examination.
 
Counseling services will provide students with success skills needed to
progress beyond achieving high school graduate status, while also
evaluating the student’s interests in order to explore post-CAHSEE
options that may include continued college education, technical
training and/or job and career identification.
 
Specific aspects of the program will address the learning needs of
students who fall into one or more of the identified ‘at-risk’ student
groups — special education, English learner, and economically
disadvantaged students — which traditionally exhibit a lower CAHSEE
passage rate. Because of the demographic complexities associated with
the non-passing student groups, college officials have decided against
creating an all-inclusive program with a set curriculum for every
student.

“We recognize that students who fall into one or more if these
three student groups will require a much more intensive assessment and
more of an individualized approach to educational training in order to
pass the CAHSEE,” Brezina said. “By creating a personalized path and
accompanying instructor-led classroom setting, we hope to develop in
students the knowledge and skills required to pass the exam and
ultimately earn their diplomas.”

Under the program’s pathway plan, students will be placed on
educational paths based on their assessment level and individualized
needs, that will provide them with a greater focus while allowing them
to chart their progress against a benchmarked standard.
 
Though the initial focus of the program will be to prepare students who
have completed all of their graduation requirements for upcoming CAHSEE
exams, students who have not completed their coursework and not passed
the CAHSEE will also have the opportunity to address their coursework
deficiencies at the college.
 
The college’s free CAHSEE program workshops, counseling and student
services will be offered Monday through Thursday and Saturdays during
flexible morning and evening hours throughout the Spring 2009 semester,
which begins February 9, 2009.

The College of the Canyons Community and Continuing Education
department’s staff is available to help answer any questions you may
have about the college’s CAHSEE program or how you can earn your high
school diploma. For more information please call (661) 362-3175 or visit www.canyons.edu/CAHSEE <http://www.canyons.edu/CAHSEE> .

Help Available For High School Testing

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