High-school grad exams could be reality by fall

A controversial series of graduation-competency exams for Pennsylvania high school students could be a reality by the end of the summer.

In a news conference Thursday, Joe Torsella, chairman of the state Board of Education, detailed a revised proposal for the exams that he had sent to the General Assembly for review early that morning.

"It is in my view the right solution for this issue that's vexed us for two years now, and the right way forward for Pennsylvania graduates," Torsella said.

The plan could be approved by the board as early as its mid-August meeting.

The exams, designed to test high-schoolers' readiness for graduation, would be phased in over seven years, beginning with algebra I, English literature and biology in the 2010-11 school year. The class of 2015 would be the first to take the tests or a local equivalent as a graduation requirement.

Time, money: The revised plan addresses many of the concerns held by critics of the concept, Torsella said.

It saves the state about $40 million -- $25 million
through contract adjustments and about $15 million by eventually eliminating the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests for 11th-graders.

The new plan also lays out how a student could graduate without having performed well on the tests. A Keystone Exam would account for at least one-third of a student's final grade in a given subject, but if that student fails the exam twice, he or she can complete a project that demonstrates his or her understanding of the subject.

And school districts can opt out of the Keystone Exams altogether, provided that they find or create an equivalent series of tests and have them validated by the state. The district and state would share the validation costs equally.

Lawmakers react: The proposal earned high marks from state Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, R-Dauphin County, whose district includes part of York County. Piccola chairs the Senate Education Committee.

"Based on my initial review, this compromise has my support because it represents accountability that promises to ensure the taxpayers' investment is producing a high school diploma which means something and allows our students to compete in the ever-changing global economy," he said in a statement.

Piccola has long supported the exams but was one of several education committee members who voted last month to transfer authority over the tests from the Department of Education to the General Assembly.

His vote came after news broke in May that the state had signed an agreement for a $201 million contract with Minnesota-based Data Recognition Corp. to develop the tests. Lawmakers said they felt betrayed because state officials had promised to hold off on a contract until an agreement on the tests had been reached.

Piccola said Thursday he will call a public hearing of the education committee next week, where Torsella will brief members on the plan's details.

'Compromise?' State Rep. Stan Saylor, R-Windsor Township, said he wants to see more detail about the plan before he takes a final position on it.

Though Torsella called the revised plan a "compromise" that had been struck after months of consulting with educators, lawmakers and school board members, Saylor said the agreement was created in a political vacuum.

"A compromise to me is when you bring the parties together and have an agreement," he said. State Rep. Paul Clymer, R-Bucks County, the ranking Republican on the House Education Committee, had not been briefed on the plan, nor had state Senate leadership, Saylor said.

"We haven't seen a whole lot in print," he said.

Torsella said the plan sent to the General Assembly on Thursday was still preliminary and that actual regulatory language won't be ready for about two weeks.

"It will not be the case that everyone will sing hallelujah about this," he said. But he insisted the new plan addresses "every one of (stakeholders') substantive critiques" and projected that the state Board of Education will embrace it next month.

-- Reach Peter Mergenthaler at 505-5439 or pmergenthaler@yorkdispatch.com.

Proposed Keystone Exams
The proposed Keystone Exams are a set of 10 tests to be taken by high school students to determine their readiness to graduate. The tests, which would replace the PSSA exams taken by high school juniors, would be phased in over seven years, with algebra I, English literature and biology set to be introduced for the 2010-11 school year.

When all of the subjects have been rolled out, students can prove they're ready to graduate by passing six of the tests, according to state officials.

---Math: A student must pass any two of the three exams offered (algebra I, algebra II and geometry).

---Reading: A student must pass two tests (composition and literature).

---Social Studies: A student must pass one of three exams (U.S. history, world history, civics and government).

---Science: A student must pass one of two exams (biology and chemistry).