Table 5.5. State high school exit exams, by exam characteristics and state: 2009

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State	Current exam		Year diplomas first withheld based on current exam	Subjects tested	Type of test	Grade level of alignment	Grade test first administered	Prior exit exam being phased out
Table 5.5. State high school exit exams, by exam characteristics and state: 2009–10

Alabama	Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE) Third Edition	¹	2001	Reading, language, math, biology, social studies	Comprehensive	11	10	Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE) 1st and 2nd Editions
Alaska	Alaska High School Graduation Qualifying Exam (HSGQE)		2004	Reading, writing, math	Comprehensive	8–10	10	None
Arizona	Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS)		2006	Reading, writing, math	Comprehensive	10	10	None
Arkansas	Arkansas Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP)		2010	Algebra I, English II (2013–14)	End-of-Course	Varies	Varies	None
California	California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE)		2006	English/language arts, math	Comprehensive	English/ language arts (through grade 10), math (grades 6–7 and algebra I)	10	None
Colorado	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Connecticut	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Delaware	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
District of Columbia	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Florida	Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT)		2003	Reading, math	Comprehensive	10	10	High School Competency Test (HSCT)
Georgia	Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) and Georgia High School Graduation Writing Test (GHSWT)		1994	English/language arts, writing, math, science, social studies	Comprehensive	9–11	11	Basic Skills Test
Hawaii	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Idaho	Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT)		2006	Reading, language usage, math	Comprehensive	10	10	None
Illinois	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
	Graduation Qualifying Exam (GQE)		2000	English/language arts, math	Comprehensive	9, including pre-algebra and algebra I	10	Graduation Qualifying Exam (GQE)
Indiana	End-of-Course Assessments (ECAs)	¹	2012	Algebra I, English 10	End-of-Course	Varies	Varies	Graduation Qualifying Exam (GQE)
Iowa	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Kansas	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Kentucky	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
	Graduation Exit Examination (GEE)		2003	English/language arts, math, science, social studies	Comprehensive	9–12	10	Graduation Exit Exam (GEE)
Louisiana	End-of-Course Exams	¹	2014	Algebra I, English II, geometry, biology, English III, and U.S. history	End-of-Course	Varies	Varies	Graduation Exit Exam (GEE)
Maine	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Maryland	Maryland High School Assessment (HSA)		2009	English II, algebra/data analysis, biology, government	End-of-Course	10	Varies	Maryland Functional Tests
Massachusetts	Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS)		2003	English/language arts, math, science and technology engineering (STE)	Comprehensive plus End-of-Course exams in science (2010)	10, high school standards	10; 9 or 10, science	None
Michigan	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Minnesota	Graduation Required Assessments for Diploma (GRAD)		2010	Reading, writing, math	Comprehensive	High school standards	9, writing;10, reading;11, math	Basic Skills Test (BST)
Mississippi	Mississippi Subject Area Testing Program (SATP)		2006	English II (with writing component), algebra I, biology I, U.S. history from 1877	End-of-Course	Aligned to course content	Varies	Functional Literacy Examination (FLE)
Missouri	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Montana	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Nebraska	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Nevada	High School Proficiency Examination (HSPE)		2003	Reading, writing, math, science	Comprehensive	9–12	10; 11, writing	High School Proficiency Examination (earlier version based on 1994 curriculum)
New Hampshire	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
New Jersey	High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA)		2003	Language arts literacy, math; End-of-Course exam in biology (2011)	Comprehensive, plus one End-of-Course in biology (2011)	11	11	High School Proficiency Test (grade 11)
	New Mexico High School Competency Examination (NMHSCE)		1990	Reading, language arts, written composition, math, science, social studies	Minimum competency	8	10	New Mexico High School Competency Examination (NMHSCE)
New Mexico	Grade 11 Standards-Based Assessment/High School Graduation Assessment (SBA/HSGA)	¹	2012	Reading, writing, math, science, social studies	Minimum competency	Content and performance standards in grades 9—12	11	New Mexico High School Competency Examination (NMHSCE)
New York	Regents Examinations		2000	English/language arts, math, science, global history and geography, U.S. history and government	End-of-Course	9–12	Varies	Regents Competency Tests
North Carolina	North Carolina Competency End-of-Course Exams	²	2010	Algebra I, biology, civics and economics, English I, U.S. history	End-of-Course	Varies	Varies	North Carolina Competency Test and Test of Computer Skills
North Dakota	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Ohio	Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT)		2007	Reading, writing, math, science, social studies	Comprehensive	10	10	Proficiency Tests (grade 9)
Oklahoma	Oklahoma End-of-Instruction (EOI) Exams		2012	Algebra I, English II, and two of the five additional subjects: algebra II, geometry, English III, biology I, and U.S. history	End-of-Course	High school standards	Varies	None
Oregon	Oregon State Assessment Systems (OSAS)		2012	Reading (2012), reading and writing (2013), and reading, writing and mathematics (2014)	Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS) comprehensive exam; other approved standardized tests (PSAT, SAT, ACT and ACT-related assessments: PLAN, Work Keys, Compass or ASSET); and samples of student work	Varies	Varies	None
Pennsylvania	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Rhode Island	New England Common Assessments Program (NCAP)		2012	Reading, math	Comprehensive	9-10	11	None
South Carolina	High School Assessment Program (HSAP)		2006	English/language arts, math, science (2010)	Comprehensive, plus End-of-Course exams in science (2010)	Through grade 10	10	Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP)
South Dakota	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Tennessee	Gateway Examinations	³	2005	English I, II, and III, algebra I and II, geometry, biology I, chemistry, U.S. history, physics	End-of-Course	10	Varies	Tennessee Competency Test
Texas	Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS)	¹	2005	English/language arts (reading/writing), math, science, social studies	Comprehensive	Aligned to course content	11	Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS)
Utah	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Vermont	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Virginia	Standards of Learning (SOL)		2004	English (reading/writing), algebra I, algebra II, geometry, biology, earth science, chemistry, world history to 1500, world history from 1500 to present, Virginia and U.S. history, world geography	End-of-Course	Aligned to course content	Varies	Literacy Passport Test
Washington	High School Proficiency Examination (HSPE)	¹	2011	Reading, writing, math, science	Comprehensive	10	10	Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL)
West Virginia	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Wisconsin	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
Wyoming	No current exit exam		†	†	†	†	†	†
† Not applicable. State does not currently have an exit exam. ¹Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington will transition to new exams. Please see their complete state profiles online at http://www.cep-dc.org/ for detailed information. ² North Carolina's exit exam policy will sunset with the graduating class of 2011. Students will be required to take end-of-course exams that count for 25 percent of the student's course grade. Please see North Carolina's state profile online at http://www.cep-dc.org/ for detailed information. ³ Tennessee's Gateway Examinations will sunset with the graduating class of 2012 and will be replaced by end-of-course exams. The new end-of-course exams do not fit the Center on Education Policy's definition of exit exams. Please see Tennessee's state profile online at http://www.cep-dc.org/ for detailed information. NOTE: This table uses the term "comprehensive" to refer to exit exams that are aligned to state standards in several subject areas and are generally targeted to the 9th-or 10th-grade level. Previous tables from the Center on Education Policy referred to these exams as "standards-based". SOURCE: State High School Tests: Exit Exams and Other Assessments, Center on Education Policy, 2011. Data Source.

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