Newsradio 1020 Editorial: Keystone Exams
School districts should be accountable –
For the education they provide Pennsylvania's students.
But the Keystone Exams aren't the answer.
The Pennsylvania Board of Education spent years creating exams –
For Algebra 1 –
Biology –
And literature.
Starting next school year –
A student couldn't graduate without passing the tests –
Or an alternative "project-based assessment."
To be prepared –
Districts have been testing students for a couple of years.
It hasn't gone well.
Students – especially in urban and poor school districts –
Were failing –
And the districts were overwhelmed –
Trying to accommodate remedial work or the alternative projects.
Educators – parents – and students – turned to Harrisburg for help.
In a rare show of solidarity –
State legislators unanimously passed legislation –
Delaying the exams for two years –
And Governor Tom Wolf signed the measure.
It was the right move.
Everyone still agrees –
That accountability is necessary.
This gives state education officials six months –
To present lawmakers with better options –
Than the Keystone Exams.