Senate delays exams
Students in public schools won’t have to pass standardized Keystone exams in order to graduate for the next two years once Gov. Tom Wolf signs a test moratorium bill that passed unanimously Wednesday in the state Senate.
Sen. Lloyd Smucker, R-Lancaster, the sponsor of Senate Bill 880, said the state Department of Education will have six months from the time of Wolf’s signature to come up with alternatives to the “cumbersome, problematic” testing methods.
“We were hearing from districts across the state about problems in implementation. There were students who couldn’t pass, so they opted for a project-based alternative, which is ultimately subjective, and we can’t have that,” Smucker said. “And then you have students in tech school who are already taking their own aptitude tests for a career, and then they’re taken out of those career classes because they can’t pass a standardized test not related to their career.”
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll Township, said she was glad the state house amended the bill to mandate the education department re-examine test implementation.
“We’re really proud that we’re increasing our graduation rates in Pennsylvania. And we’re not trying to make things easier in learning, but a lot of high school seniors wouldn’t have learned all of the aspects of the new test. They were at a disadvantage, and their results would inaccurately reflect what they’re capable of doing,” Bartolotta said.
The graduation requirement for students to show prociency in algebra, biology and literature would take effect in 2018-19 under new guidelines. The move to use Keystone exams as a graduation requirement was approved by the state Board of Education in 2013 despite widespread criticism from educators, according to the Associated Press. The AP reported Sen. Andrew Dinniman said during floor debate that 126,000 students failed one or more of the tests last March.
Dr. James Walsh, superintendent at Burgettstown School District, said the moratorium on the test is very good news.
“Over the past several years, as the money from the commonwealth dwindled, Burgettstown has been obligated to commit local funds to meet these mandates, and, at the same time, remove electives from students’ schedules so they could get the required remedial programs mandated by the law,” he said. “This has put a strain on our staffing and on our students’ access to a rich, well-rounded program of study. It was doubly frustrating to do this, knowing most of the affected students passed our courses associated with the Keystone exams, but struggled with the commonwealth’s Keystone test.”
Walsh said he expects juniors and sophomores to still take the test, and that freshmen would still have to pass their tests to comply with any new test that’s designed in the next two years.
“We need to look at how career and tech schools implement their tests. They’re very subject-driven and focus on aptitude of specific skills. But we need to figure this out so all students have the skills they need for whatever post-graduation plans they have,” Smucker said.