Graduation tests are one step closer to reality
The state Department of Education, the state Board of Education and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association had a news conference Wednesday to announce an agreement about graduation requirements. The contentious part has always been about additional tests. Well, the agreement will delay when they go into effect until 2015. But tests would still be required for graduation - whether it's PSSA, a local test, AP or a few other options.
Of course, this is not a done deal yet. The Legislature passed a law last year that doesn't allow the state Department of Education to come up with rules about the additional state tests until June. So stay tuned to see what happens.
Of course, this is not a done deal yet. The Legislature passed a law last year that doesn't allow the state Department of Education to come up with rules about the additional state tests until June. So stay tuned to see what happens.
Labels: Graduation tests
posted by Dawn Keller at
8:27 AM
1 Comments:
Ms. Keller -
Thank you for your continual focus on education.
The past decade has been filled with the push for standardized testing. Our students take more standardized tests now than ever before in the history of public education. As a state, test scores have gone up; however, empirical research is lacking that increased test scores equate to higher levels of learning. In the NCLB era, schools have been forced to narrow the curriculum to divert funds to a few subject areas. The testing industry has shown dramatic growth under NCLB. The cost of implementing these standardized tests is extreme for each state. What kind of impact on learning could you see if you redirected that funding to the schools? Would you see school districts better able to provide a well-rounded educational experience for a globally competitive world? Do we really need another set of tests when the state already has tests for writing, math, reading and science?
The quick answer is to say testing is beneficial. Why not find the underlying problems and divert or attention to those areas? Throwing another set of assessments will not fix these problems that face our children.
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