Kirsten Grimm, principal at Envision Academy of Arts & Technology, made a deal with her students: up your achievement game and I’ll paint my car purple!

She wanted to motivate her students to increase their scores on the California State High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), a test every California student must take – and pass – in order to graduate from high school. The aim of the CAHSEE is to increase student achievement and to ensure that students graduate from high school with the right skills in reading, writing, and math. Students first take the test in the 10th grade; if they don’t pass it, they have more chances in 11th and 12th grade to do so.

Principal Grimm set the bar: she wanted her 10th graders to achieve an 80% or higher pass rate in both reading and math. In return, she promised to deck out her car in purple – the school’s color – and with a panther – the school’s mascot. Then, with the help of some dedicated and talented teachers, she put in place the support her students needed to make it happen. Envision Academy teachers Nicole Tancioco, Dustin Panetaude and Elizabeth Lopez ran a month-long CAHSEE Bootcamp this past Spring to prepare their 10th grade students for the annual exam.

The results? EA students achieved an 80% pass rate on the English exam and an 86% pass rate in math, and Principal Grimm’s car got a makeover! 

Ms. Tancioco had this to say about the process: “Our students tracked their own progress on each power standard, including: pre-test scores, practice scores and post-test scores. Students were honest in their reflection and comprehension of each standard and pushed themselves to proficiency. I am extremely proud of the students; they are relentless and they aimed for growth throughout the entire CAHSEE bootcamp.”

Celebrate these students’ success: if you see “The Panther Mobile” in and around Oakland, honk and wave!