Updates for 2009:   Oct 23   Pa. votes final-exam Keystone tests to get a diploma The Philadelphia Inquirer: "After years of debate, Pennsylvania is going ahead with a plan to offer school districts state-approved final exams that students would have to take to get diplomas.&q... Oct 22   IRRC votes to approve Keystone Exams proposal  Members of the Class of 2015 will be the first graduates who will be subjected to a new requirement that factors their score on a Pennsylvania exam into a course grade and determine if they can ... Sep 13   Philadelphia SD Superintendent supports strengthened graduation requirements Dr. Arlene Ackerman, Superintendent of the Philadelphia School District, writes the following in her letter to members of the Philadelphia delegation: "As the superintendent of our state's ... Aug 24   Piccola: Why I support the Keystone graduation exams For far too long, efforts have been stalling in Pennsylvania to make our high schools the best in the nation and ensure a brighter future for all of this state's graduates. Likewise, we have failed to... Aug 13   Pennsylvania Board of Education OKs graduation requirement proposal The state Board of Education's approval of proposed graduation requirements that establish a new series of state tests to determine students' eligibility for a diploma won the support of a local stude... Aug 12   Graduation exam rule expected to pass State public high school graduation exams -- once so controversial that about 20 organizations as well as at least 200 school boards opposed them -- now are expected to be approved by the state Board ... Jul 29   Keystone Exam Compromise Receives Strong Bipartisan Support HARRISBURG – After three public hearings and many conversations among lawmakers and various educational interest groups, the Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Jeffrey E. Piccola (R-... Jul 29   Senate Committe passes resolution in favor of Keystone Exams Yesterday, the Senate Education Committee passed Senate Resolution 156 expressing support of the Keystone Exams. Sen. Jeff Piccola said, “...this is a carefully calibrated compromise,” re... Jul 29   Morning Call columnist: Standard tests bring accountability In today's Morning Call, columnist Paul Carpente writes that Keystone Exams would bring the same standards into use statewide - and his distrust of local standards.  He writes: The Bethlehem A... Jul 27   The Morning Call looks at Keystones ''It would be a huge gain for high schools,'' said Souderton High School principal Sam Varano, adding that replacing the PSSAs with the Keystones would free up weeks of instructional time. Read the ... Jul 27   Gamesa applauds stronger and more consistent high school graduation standards The Tribune-Democrat: Gamesa is a global corporation, one of the world’s largest wind energy producers, on the cutting edge of our energy future. We are based in Spain, but several years ago e... Jul 22   Inquirer editorial: Diplomas that count A replacement for the comprehensive test that all Pennsylvania high-school students must take in the 11th grade should be approved by the state Board of Education when it meets next month. But the boa... Jul 21   Education needs uniform standards Pennsylvania spends billions of dollars on K-12 education every year; in fact more than $30 billion in funds from federal, state and school taxes. This money all comes from just one place: our pockets... Jul 20   Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy praises compromise on stronger high school diploma standards  Making Pennsylvania Graduates Ready for the 21st Century Workforce The political process in Harrisburg worked. That’s something you do not hear every day. But it is true in the case of f... Jul 14   Proposed changes to Keystone exams are worth making From the West Chester Daily Local News: There could be big changes coming in regards to the state's Keystone exams, the competency tests that high school seniors must complete before graduation. The ... Jul 14   Testing times: Compromise school exam deserves support From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: When Joe Torsella stands before the Senate Education Committee today, he's likely to feel like a substitute teacher in a classroom full of unruly students. Mr.... Jul 10   Pennsylvania graduation testing compromise unveiled The Patriot-News: "The plan melds the State Board's original proposal with ones offered by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and the Pennsylvania State Education Association-led Coalitio... Jul 10   Ed board chairman offers plan for PA grad tests Associated Press reports: "The proposal for the Keystone Exams, crafted in consultation with school boards, teachers and legislators, "reflects the best thinking of the education community a... Jul 10   PSEA: Compromise On Keystone Exams Makes Progress In Protecting PA Students "After discussions with State Board of Education Chair Joe Torsella and key state education officials, PSEA and the State Board of Education have reached an agreement on the issue of Keystone Exa... Jul 10   State Board of Education announces new 'common ground' Keystone Exam proposal Following months of public hearings, recent discussions with key stakeholders and legislative leaders, and a commitment by all parties to find common ground, the State Board of Education today announc... Jul 10   State Sen. Piccola, Chairman of Senate Education Committee, praises State Board effort on Keystone compromise Piccola Issues Statement Regarding State Board's Compromise on Graduation Exams HARRISBURG - Senator Jeffrey E. Piccola (R-15), Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, reacted to the compromise a... Jul 9   Leading newspapers call for reform Leading newspaper editorials are calling for reform of high school graduation requirements. View the release here. Jul 1   Northwestern Pennsylvania business urges legislators to support statewide graduation requirements Karen Winner, President and CEO of Winner International LLC writes, "our leaders in Harrisburg need to work with our educators and come up with a plan to put these requirements and assessment tes... Jun 22   PA Board of Education Chair: Let's work towards common solution Pennsylvania State Board of Education Chairman Joe Torsella wrote a letter to Senators Jeffrey Piccola and Andrew Dinniman and Representatives James Roebuck and Paul Clymer regarding the recent debate... Jun 18   Wilkes-Barre Chamber joins push for stronger, consistent high school diploma standards "On behalf of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce ... we respectfully submit this resolution regarding efforts to strengthen high school graduation requirements in Pennsylvania." R... Jun 15   Slippery Rock student supports graduation exams A recent high school graduate who took remedial courses in his first year at Slippery Rock University writes of his support for Keystone Exams in a letter to the editor of The Patriot-News.  Ste... Jun 15   Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial: Tests are still the right idea Today, an editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer says that Pennsylvania must "raise the bar on graduation requirements." ...Lawmakers shouldn't lose sight of a worthy proposal that is in... Jun 15   LTE: Work force needs quality graduates to compete In a letter to the editor of the Clarion News, businessman Dennis Hickman writes of his support for the Keystone Exams: As the head of three local companies involved in the hardwood business, I am ... Jun 10   Editorial: Battle over exams isn't helping students An editorial in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says that Pennsylvania business' pleas for graduates prepped for the workforce have fallen on deaf ears, "particularly in the Senate, where th... Jun 9   PA Secretary of Education on Keystone Exams Contract PA Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak wrote a letter to the editor of the Patriot News in response to their May 28 editorial: Your May 28 editorial, "Exit exams: Testing necessary, but l... Jun 9   LTE: Exams are Meaningful Enola resident David Bainbridge writes in a Patriot-News LTE that he thinks "School districts seem to be unwilling or unable to recognize and rectify this problem. In order to guarantee that a h... Jun 9   LTE: Clear Benchmark Needed In another LTE in the Patriot-News, Rhonda Newton of Lemoyne writes of her experiences in the New York state school system. In that state, high school graduates must past the NY Regents exams, which B... Jun 9   LTE: Exam would help employers get a clear picture Upper Allen Township resident Ray A. Brubaker writes in a letter to the editor of The Patriot-News about his experiences as a product of the British school system.  He took comprehensive exams be... Jun 8   Times Leader: Studies show many students need remedial help to succeed The Times Leader takes a look at need for standards, assessments: How do our schools fare? The answer on first blush is: Poorly.  The story takes a look at a local student's journey after high sc... May 30   Poll: Employers support standard graduation exams The Philadelphia Daily News: Pennsylvania's business community strongly supports the creation of a mandatory, statewide series of high-school graduation exams to improve the skills of the state's work... May 30   PA Business Council calls for graduation exames The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports: Members of the Pennsylvania Business Council are adding their voices to the call for statewide mandatory graduation exams.   May 29   Gamesa urges support of strong standards Gamesa says statewide graduation requirements are "vital for the future of Pennsylvania's students and businesses." Read the letter here. May 28   Recent HS grad: standards would be useful In the Butler Eagle, a recent graduate of Valley High in Westmoreland County writes about his struggle to catch up to his peers at Slippery Rock University. Steve Santucci says, "To me, it just m... May 18   York Co. resident: We are failing our children York County resident Dorothy Ignozzi writes in a letter to the editor of the York Daily Record that PA high schools are failing our children. "No wonder so many high school graduates entering co... May 15   Media NAACP to Host Conference on State of Education in PA The Media NAACP will host its 7th annual 7th annual Conference on the State of Education Saturday at Cheney University. The conference will open with a speech from state Rep. James Roebuck Jr., D-188... May 15   PDE Announces Contract for exams, curriculum development The PA Department of Education has announced they have awarded a contract for the following: Creation of high-quality model curricula for school districts to use on a voluntary basis; Diag... Apr 28   Ellwood ledger: Keystone exams for graduation? The Ellwood City Ledger reports on Keystone Exams for graduation: In the past, schools were given the option of deciding how to measure each student's graduation readiness and criteria students we... Apr 27   Post-Gazette: Graduation tests gaining momentum Eleanor Chute of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Keystone Exams proposals - in a few different forms - are gaining momentum in PA: In less than three months, the moratorium on changing stat... Apr 22   School Board Member and College Prof say: Local officials must be involved in developing assets Louis M. Shucker, a member of the Schuylkill Valley School Board, and  Dr. Joe Yarworth, an assistant professor of education at Albright College wrote in today's Reading Eagle: &q... Apr 1   Dan Rooney, Chairman of Pittsburgh Steelers- Graduation exams necessary to help Pennsylvania's children succeed Dan Rooney, Chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers, outlines his support for graduation exams in an editorial which ran in the Harrisburg Patriot News on April 1. Our goal for the Pittsburgh Steele... Mar 16   C. Alan Walker discusses need for statewide graduation requirements C. Alan Walker, president/CEO of Bradford Energy Co., is concerned about our community's and our country's future.  He supports the proposal for standardized, statewide, rigorous high school... Mar 14   Robert Pangborn in support of exams Robert Pangborn, V.P. and Dean for Undergraduate Education at PSU, testified at a PA Board of Education public hearing on high school reform in Lock Haven on May 6.  He and his colleagu... Mar 6   Educator 100% supportive of proposed Graduation Competency Assessments Thomas Paternostro, who has worked in education for most of his life, testified before the PA Board of Education public hearing on high school reform in Lock Haven on May 6.  He&nb... Mar 4   PA School Boards Association Supports Graduation Testing The Pennsylvania School Boards Association supports graduation testing, reports Jan Murphy of the Harrisburg Patriot-News. State Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak stood with the association's...

News Archive     2009