VOLUME 50, ISSUE 9
FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2007
CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546
Cheating, fighting and a ‘mosh pit’ ‘Chaos’ disrupts testing during annual Exit Exam By Flora Tsang & Sophiana Carrell A series of problems interrupted the annual California High School Exit Exam held on March 20 and 21. Students apparently cheated, fought over snacks in a “mosh pit,” and disrupted other students during testing. One student described the scene as “utter chaos and pandemonium.” “I’ve been proctoring ever since there was an Exit Exam and it’s never been so disorganized,” said history teacher Roger Kim. This was the fourth year CVHS has administered the CAHSEE, a test required for students to graduate from high school. Though both days were hectic, the most disorder erupted amongst the students during break time of the second day. “The kids were stealing whole boxes of Pop-Tarts and stuffing them under their sweatshirts and into their bags,” said sophomore Amanda Menne. “People were taking granola bars and hitting them in the center of the gym with badminton rackets,” said sophomore Yash Rusconi. After students noticed the depleting food supply, they started crowding in tightly. “I was pissed I didn’t get a muffin. And then I saw a mosh pit of kids hoarding the snack cart. And there were flying muffins!” said sophomore Jamie Walbert. “It was utter chaos and pandemonium.” Concerning the sophomore class, the administration was upset with its behavior. “They were unacceptable, extremely rude, and showed a distinct lack of manners. I am very disappointed,” said Assistant Principal Marcie Plummer. “The food issue was a completely
student-driven problem.” The bigger issue, however, seemed to be the apparent cheating that was going on during the testing, even though there were 18 teachers that worked as proctors along with an additional three administrators and two campus patrollers. Eight of the teachers were substitutes. “During the break, students were checking answers and re-writing their essays,” said sophomore Emily Williams. Teachers were unclear with the bathroom policy, and as a result, students received mixed signals. “Students were given wrong instructions, they weren’t told to bring in some required items and there was no uniform bathroom policy,” said Kim. Another difficulty with the exam was what to do with the students who finished the test early. In other years, students have returned to their classes or waited in the courtyard. This year, those who stayed in the gym distracted other students. “During the last 20 minutes, everyone was constantly talking,” said Williams. “It wasn’t run very well.” The entire event was extremely difficult for the administration. “You have to consider that there were 700 kids in the one gym,” said Plummer. Plummer and Principal Lisa Garcia are collaborating to create a new system for administering the CAHSEE next year. The plan is to break up the sophomore class and send students to one of three venues. By then, the new gym will be completed and will be available as an additional location for testing. “This may help the food situation and the organization,” said Plummer. “There is always room for improvement.”
Praise for ASL Variety Show Pg. 4
Babuljak impassions his students Pg. 5
e
Se
. Pg
8
e or r m fo. o f in
Chris (Hongzhe) Qian / Staff Writer
Senior Michael Williams enthusiastically waves the Castro Valley flag during the Days of Diversity assembly.
Mathematics made for a makeover By Laura Mitchell Staff Writer
A proposed change to the CVHS math program next year would eliminate the Algebra 1A and 1B classes and put first year algebra students in Algebra 1. All incoming freshmen who have not yet taken an algebra class would go into Algebra 1, as opposed to the current system, in which eighth grade Pre-Algebra students are sorted into the different algebra classes- Algebra 1, Algebra 1A/1B, Algebra 1B/1C, and Algebra 1C/Prep Geometryby their teachers. Nancy Cavalieri, the chair of the CVHS math department, says that data from the Alameda County Office of Education prompted the math teachers to
consider changing the algebra class system. “Through the data, we’ve found that it’s more successful to have students take the Algebra 1 year-long course rather than to stretch it out into different classes and levels,” she said. Cavalieri also notes that putting all students into Algebra 1 would be faster than the system currently in place; would experience the whole algebra curriculum in a year, rather than the 1A/1B system, which slows down the pace and lengthens the algebra learning process. A problem with the current situation is that students who fail an algebra class other than Algebra 1 and end up retaking it can spend most of their high school years in algebra classes trying to get through the various different
segments of the course. “Changing the math program would enable people [students] to have more of a chance at completing the entire algebra curriculum in a year,” said Cavalieri. However, students who still need more time and benefit from a slower-paced class would be able to take Algebra 1C/ Geometry Prep, which would be kept even with the proposed change, and some students might receive an extra “support class” to get help as well. Discussions among the math teachers about the change to the “algebra system” are ongoing, but whether or not the proposed change occurs, Cavalieri said “the goal is always to help students and keep people from failing.”
Lawmakers debate on lengthening school day By Laura Mitchell Staff Writer
An idea to extend the school day is winning few fans at CVHS. “That’s ridiculous. We can still get a good education without having such a longer day,” fumed junior Katrina Han. By the time the final bell of the school day rings at 3:20, most students can’t wait to leave. But if some national legislators get their way, that 3:20 bell would no longer be a bell of freedom, but instead a signal that there would be about two more hours of classes left in the school day. Recently, the idea has come into the spotlight as lawmakers in Washington, D.C. and in various states are debating whether or not to increase the length of the school day from the average 6.5 hours to 8 hours. Advocates of the longer school
day model say that more class time would improve test scores and give schools more time to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind law. Supporters also say that a lengthened school day would enable more students to graduate on time and allow for more elective classes. But there are definitely downsides to increasing the school day. A school day beginning at 7:30 and ending at 5:00 would cut into extracurricular activities like sports and work and leave students with little free time after school. And, as Spanish teacher Marge Toney pointed out, “We’d have to have a new focus and outlook on school. A longer day would not only interrupt sports and extracurricular activities, but the home lives of students and teachers as well.” An eight-hour school day would also cost a lot of money,
since teachers would need to be paid more for working longer hours each day. So is an extended school day in CVHS’s future? Said counselor Duane Magno, “I have not heard that, but when it comes to effectively educating the students…all options are open. Having everyone do a 1-6 period minimum schedule could eventually happen, but not next year.” Most students and faculty would not support any extension of the school day, however. “I don’t think I would support lengthening the [school] day. The solution is finding ways to motivate kids to do their work and show up, and to make use of a more rigorous curriculum. Better school results can be obtained without extending the school day,” said social studies teacher Kevin Batchelor.