NORTH COUNTY --- Statewide results of the must-pass California exit exam show for the first time a narrowing of the "achievement gap" between historically low-performing student groups such as African Americans and Hipanics when compared to the state's white and Asian students, State Superintendent Jack O'Connell said Monday.

"This is one of the first times I've seen the data showing that we are making progress (on the achievement gap)," said O'Connell, speaking to reporters in a telephone press conference from Ulysses S. Grant Senior High in Van Nuys. "I am happy to report that intensive instruction and remediation is showing results for students most at risk for failing the exam. Our efforts are paying off."

Locally, school district officials said the remedial steps they've taken appear to be showing results. Common in schools in San Marcos, Carlsbad and Oceanside are classes -- some mandatory and some voluntary -- that target students who have failed the test at least once.

The California High School Exit Exam -- arguably the highest of many "high-stakes" tests today's high-schoolers take -- took effect in 2006, meaning that seniors had to pass the test to graduate. According to O'Connell, the exit exam is the only state test that measures "100 percent" of what teachers are required to teach in math and language through the tenth grade.

Special education seniors are exempt this year from the requirement to pass the exit exam as a result of litigation filed in 2005. This is the last year for the special education exemption.

Monday's data focused on test results statewide. Exit exam results at the county and local school district levels will be released this summer, O'Connell said.

The results of the exit exams given to seniors in the class of 2007 through February show that 390,697 students have passed both portions of the exit exam -- a cumulative pass rate of 91.4 percent, up 2.1 percentage points over the class of 2006, O'Connell said.

Compared to last year's peers, the passage rate for African-American students in the class of 2007 rose 4.5 percentage points -- more than twice the 2.1 point gain posted by the class of 2007 as a whole. Latino students showed a 3.4 point rise. In contrast, the passing rate for white students grew by only half of a percentage point. The passing rates in all subgroups posted gains over last year's class.

Still, O'Connell said, he is concerned with the performance of student groups that traditionally have struggled in school. About 85 percent of Latinos, African-Americans and students of poverty passed the exam, compared to 97 percent for whites and 95 percent for Asians. English-language learners passed at a rate of about 72 percent.

Remedial efforts

In San Marcos Unified School District, students who have failed one or both parts of the exit exam are required to take a special preparation class in addition to their regular math and English classes, said Nancy Peterson. director of secondary curriculum. The prep class is also offered during summer school.

Carlsbad Unified School District offers a class called "CAHSEE Intensive" during the school day at Carlsbad High School and Carlsbad Village Academy for juniors and seniors who have not yet passed the exit exam, said Devin Vodicka, director of curriculum and instruction. Participation is not required but "strongly encouraged."

"Looking at the previous year, most students perform better (on the exit exam) after the intervention than before (taking the class)," Vodicka said. "The initial information looks favorable as far as program effectiveness goes."

By graduation last June, 22 seniors had not passed one or both sections of the test. Currently, 29 seniors must still pass the exam to graduate in June, said Vodicka, estimating that about 605 seniors have passed so far this year.

In San Marcos, educators have developed a practice exam with test questions taken from previous exit exams. Peterson said 10th-graders take the practice test as a way of predicting success and identifying areas of weakness. Teachers use the test results of individual students to target their teaching.

Peterson said the interventions seem to be working. At graduation last year, Peterson said 27 seniors -- 23 of them English language learners -- had not passed. With the special classes, the practice exam and extra work with supplemental materials, the district is currently at about the same number -- but with more than two months of educational time left before graduation.

"I think we'll cut that number in half (by graduation)," Peterson said, predicting that seven or eight seniors at each high school would still need to pass by mid-June. "I think that's a safe prediction. That's where we're going a be."

Michael Hargrove, director of assessment and evaluation with Oceanside Unified School District, said that of the 1,064 seniors in Oceanside schools last year, 119 did not pass the exam. Of those 119, 11 did not graduate solely because they did not pass the test. The others were either exempt as special education students, or did not have enough credits to graduate anyway, Hargrove said. Hargrove said he predicted a similar outcome this year.

Contact Philip K. Ireland at (760) 901-4043 or online at pireland@nctimes.com.