LAUSD sophomores up to grade

Sophomores at Los Angeles Unified School District showed slight gains on a key test that measures English and math skills needed for high school graduation, district officials said Tuesday.Dakota Smith in the Daily News.

Sixty-five percent of LAUSD sophomores passed the California High School Exit Exam, given in March, on their first try. The test is mandatory for students to graduate from high school, although they can take it multiple times.

While the district's performance lags behind statewide figures showing roughly 80.6 percent of sophomores in California passed the test in 2010, the LAUSD numbers show year-over-year gains since CAHSEE was first implemented in 2004. Back then, only 44 percent of LAUSD sophomores passed the test.