More students pass exit exam on first try

As the California High seminary Exit Exam becomes more inevitable, a slightly increasing number of pupils are passing the math and English parts of the experiment on the first try, according to data from the state Department of Education.

In Dublin, 92 percent of sophomores in 2006 aced the math portion the first time, compared with 88 percent the previous year. The West Contra Costa institute district saw the percentage of first-timers passing English swell by 4 percentage points in the past three years. And in Mt Diablo, the percentage of sophomores succeeding in the pair subject areas has inched up 1 point since 2004

Jack O'Connell state superintendent of seminarys said small increases such as these in the East Bay means a big payoff across California down the road.

"We're upon track to a passing rate that's plane greater than that of the class of 2006 who walked