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New exams could replace PSSAs
Staff writer
dgoodman@observer-reporter.com
The state Board of Education chairman wants to eliminate the 11th-grade Pennsylvania System of School Assessments and replace them with end-of-course exams.
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Torsella said the proposal would eliminate 18 hours of high school PSSA testing in reading, writing, math and science. The new exams, which he called Keystone exams, can replace final course exams, he said.
He anticipates the proposal would save at least $40 million.
The proposal calls for phasing in some Keystone tests to replace the PSSAs in 2010-11, followed by others in 2011-12.
Starting with the Class of 2015, students entering seventh grade this fall, would have to show proficiency in literature, composition and any two of three math subjects.
A requirement that students show proficiency in science and social studies would be phased in with the Class of 2016.
The Keystone exams would be used for No Child Left Behind reporting requirements. Torsella said the exams will be tied to state standards, so he thinks they will be approved by the U.S. Department of Education for NCLB requirements.
Students who don't pass the Keystone tests would get extra help and could take them again. If they still fail, they could complete a detailed project in the subject, an option that works in Maryland, Torsella said.
Torsella said the proposal is based on input from groups that voiced concerns about the original graduation testing plans. He met with those groups to create this plan.
It reduces testing and doesn't make the state tests "all-or-nothing," two significant concerns about the original proposal, he said. The graduation requirements can also be waived by the state Department of Education in extraordinary situations, such as death in the family, Torsella said.
Torsella sent letters Thursday morning to the chairmen of the state House and Senate education committees, detailing the plan.
"We heard loud and clear the General Assembly's insistence on a plan with broad buy-in, and I am optimistic that today's announcement meets that threshold," he said.
Over the next two weeks, regulations for the proposal will be developed. The state Board of Education will meet next in August. Torsella said he believes the proposal will be voted on at that meeting.
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