California High School Proficiency Exam
The California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) was an early exit testing program established under California law (California Education Code Section 48412). Testers who passed the CHSPE received a high school-equivalent diploma from the California State Board of Education. All individuals and institutions subject to California law that require a high school diploma are required to accept the CHSPE diploma as requirement fulfillment. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has ruled it acceptable in federal civilian employment applications, and the U.S. Department of Education recognizes the CHSPE as a high school diploma equivalent for various purposes, including financial aid applications.
| Type | Paper-based, early-exit testing program |
|---|---|
| Developer / administrator | California State Board of Education |
| Knowledge / skills tested | Mathematics, English-language arts (reading and writing) |
| Purpose | Early-exit from high school |
| Duration | 3.5 hours |
| Score / grade range | 250–450 (multiple-choice) and 1-5 (writing). |
| Offered | Thrice annually |
| Countries / regions | California |
| Languages | English |
| Prerequisites / eligibility criteria | Age 16+ or enrolled in at least two semesters of 10th grade |
| Fee | $230 (2020-2021) |
| Website | cde |
A possible option for CHSPE test-takers was to enroll in a community college and transfer to their university of choice after two years. The University of California system accepts the Certificate of Proficiency awarded by the State Board of Education upon successful completion of CHSPE.
Officially, the test was discontinued and replaced by the California Proficiency Program as of June 2023. This was due to the SAT10, the examination the CHSPE was based on, becoming obsolete and the new CPP being based on the HiSET.