California permanently eliminates high school exit exam requirement

FILE-- California has permanently scrapped its high school exit exam under legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday. FILE-- California has permanently scrapped its high school exit exam under legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday. Photo: Caiaimage/Sam Edwards/Getty Images Photo: Caiaimage/Sam Edwards/Getty Images Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close California permanently eliminates high school exit exam requirement 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

SACRAMENTO — California has permanently scrapped its high school exit exam under legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday.

The California High School Exit Examination was a requirement to receive a diploma in the state, but the legislature voted in 2015 to drop it for the high school classes of 2015 to 2018. Diplomas were retroactively awarded to anyone who met all other graduation requirements after the test became a mandatory must-pass exam in 2004.

That resulted in an estimated 40,000 former high school students receiving their diplomas.

The bill signed by Brown, AB830 by Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, permanently eliminates the test.

The state canceled the test amid questions about the Exit Exam, which state officials said was not aligned with what’s being taught in schools. It did not match up with a switch to Common Core standards, which emphasize critical thinking rather than rote learning.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez