Should students take the California Proficiency Exam?
Students give their opinion on leaving high school early.
"My friend Abby was supposed to be a junior with us, but she took the test and she is in Santa Monica College. She said it was great. She can work and go to college at the same time.
But high school is a time when you should explore what you really want. You’re meeting new people, getting self-esteem. She missed out on a lot. Like she missed our 11th grade honors English—we’re reading The Awakening and Moby Dick. She’s really smart, but she went to SMC. I know she could’ve been accepted to a university."
—Sandra Cortez, 17, Los Angeles HS
"It’s a good idea to take the test if you have enough knowledge and preparation to take it, but if you don’t have the courses you need to get into college, no."
—Leslie Berry, 18, Los Angeles HS
"Aren’t the colleges looking more for the required courses and extracurricular activities? It’s OK if you’re one of those prodigy children, but you can’t beat the high school experience. You get to hang out with your friends, you get everything. It only happens once (unless you fail ninth grade over and over)."
—Arturo Ibarra, 16, Los Angeles HS
"I didn’t know you could take it at 16. It’s good—you can graduate faster. Then you can study something you want in college. Here in high school, they give you whatever classes they want and many students fall asleep in class. They don’t learn anything by sleeping."
—Tabita Fabian, 16, Los Angeles HS
"You should stay in high school and finish it because you’ll earn your diploma and get into a better college."
—Albert "Ravencroft" Doss, 17, Los Angeles HS
"The test is a good idea. We’re forced to come to school and a lot of children don’t want to be here, especially since you learn the same thing year after year. If they pass that test, they can move on."
—Keyonica West, 14, Los Angeles HS
"I want to take that test. Do you have the phone number?"
—Kenyatta Smith, 18, Los Angeles HS
"It’s better to stay in high school. You get the whole experience of learning. If you take the test, all you do is take the test."
—Cindy Martinez, 16, Los Angeles HS
"It’s not wise, if you’re young, to go to college. You’re not mature enough to handle the work. And if you’re underage, you can’t get a good job. Better to stay in high school, because then you learn more and work on your skills."
—Oscar Navarrete, 17, Los Angeles HS
"You’re paying taxes for high school, you may as well go. Besides, it’s the CALIFORNIA Proficiency Exam—they don’t accept it out of state. I want to go to Cambridge or Oxford, and the Proficiency Exam can’t help me there."
—Mario Roa, 16, Los Angeles HS
"Most students think they can handle college life but many of the people that I know that have tried it ended up regretting it. Some of my friends stopped going to school altogether. They miss the high school experience. They miss being with people their own age, going out with their friends. They have to grow up too fast."
—Vanessa Sandoval, 19, Los Angeles HS
"If you pass the test, doesn’t it mean that you know everything you need to know?"
—Marcella Polanco, 16, Los Angeles HS
"High school is something I have to finish. Afterward, I’m thinking of being a cop, so I would never take that test."
—Marc Rosales, Boyle Heights Continuation School
"I’d take the test, because I want to get a head start with college. I want to go to Santa Monica Community College, but am unsure about what I want to be when I grow up."
—Silverio Cruz, Venice High School
"I need to get a good education for college. I want to become a graphic designer, so I wouldn’t take that test."
—Brenda Ramos, Roosevelt High School
"Yes, I’d leave. I need to work and help my family out."
—Gloria Centeno, Venice High School
"Sometimes I do get tired of going to school and want to do something else. But I’d never leave and take the test. I’m almost finished with school anyway."
—Gloria Cervantes, Occupational Center Los Angeles
