The push to narrow the gap between minority students and some of their higher-achieving counterparts is now on the books: Superintendents and school board members countywide gathered yesterday to sign a compact that calls for a 100 percent pass rate on the California High School Exit Exam by 2006.

Superintendents from San Diego, Sweetwater, Grossmont, Oceanside and Escondido committed their districts to boosting the achievement of all students, something the federal government expects under the No Child Left Behind Act.

About 80 superintendents and board members at a news conference signed the so-called CAHSEE Compact, symbolized by a large white poster board that asked school districts to fulfill four promises: "a quality mathematics teacher for each student; a rigorous mathematics curriculum for each student; extended learning time for students who have not yet passed the mathematics portion of the CAHSEE; and monitoring and dissemination of results and best practices."

A representative from each of the county's 42 districts, except Vallecitos, signed the placard. Vallecitos supports the compact but was unable to attend, said county schools Superintendent Rudy Castruita.

Castruita opened the news conference by citing results from 10th-graders who took the exit exam in March and May. The focus was on the math portion of the exam, where students need the most help. Beginning in 2006, all students must pass the exam to receive a high school diploma.

The 10th-graders' overall pass rate was 58 percent on the math part of the exam.

Within student subgroups, Asians were the top performers with an 80 percent pass rate, while whites had 74 percent on math. Far below, however, were Hispanics and African-Americans at 40 and 38 percent, respectively.

"If we don't narrow and close that gap, I fear for the institution of public education," city schools Superintendent Alan Bersin said after the results were released. "It is a moral imperative to close the gap and ensure that all students pass. This is about the quality of life in San Diego in the 21st century."

Historically, lower-income and minority students have been outperformed by their counterparts, but the gap also exists because of differing expectations from community to community.

Communities that have high expectations for kids and provide them with the best teachers often see the best results, said Russlynn Ali, director of Education Trust West, a Washington, D.C., research organization that advocates better education for low-income and minority students. The exit exam provides a uniform expectation level for students across the state, she said.

Few specifics, however, were given on how the gap can be closed.

Instead, the compact set forth a host of general principles each district should implement. Among them are recruiting qualified teachers, providing supplemental services before and after the school day and determining what the "best practices" are in other school districts.

Included in the duties outlined in the compact, the county office promises to provide sample curriculum, lessons and assessments, as well as professional development for mathematics teachers.

The exam, part of the state's efforts to improve the quality of public education, aims to ensure that students have learned basic skills – including the ability to read, write and do math – by the time they graduate.

California is among about 24 states that have such exit exams.

The English exam includes reading comprehension, grammar and writing skills the state says students should master by 10th grade. The math portion includes arithmetic, measurement, some statistics and probability and algebra.

Despite the lofty goal set forth in the compact, the principles can be implemented without more cash infusions, Castruita said.

"The gap can be closed with existing resources," he said.

A report released last month by the Center on Education Policy analyzed how much it costs to implement a high school exit exam, using Indiana as a case study. The Washington-based think tank also studied the cost of raising achievement on the Indiana test.

Researchers found that raising the bar to 100 percent would cost an extra $682 million annually or $685 per pupil per year on top of current costs.

"There are costs besides just administering the test," said Madlene Hamilton, a research associate for the Center on Education Policy. "You have to provide professional development for the teachers. You have to prepare the students."

What makes the compact unusual is that it was signed by kindergarten through sixth-grade feeder districts, a recognition that districts early on must aspire to produce test-passing students.

"Being able to pass CAHSEE isn't enough to succeed in tomorrow's economy and it certainly is not enough to get you into higher ed," Ali said. "It's just too low-level. You're asking them to measure eighth-and ninth-grade skills at the end of high school. It's not an unreasonable goal (to seek a 100 percent pass rate). It would be unreasonable not mandate it as such," Ali said.

Some superintendents say closing the achievement gap is doable in such a short time, but it will present an enormous challenge.

"The gap has existed for 30 years and it's not going to go away easily," said Ken Noonan, superintendent of the Oceanside Unified district. "I do believe it can be done but it takes a great deal of effort. We're fixing the plane while it's in flight and that's difficult to do.