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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. James Roebuck |
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Roebuck supports revised Keystone Exam high school graduation plan
HARRISBURG, Aug. 7 – State House Education Committee Chairman James Roebuck, D-Phila., announced that he supports the State Board of Education's revised Graduation Competency Assessments – or Keystone Exams – proposal announced in July.
Roebuck and the House Education Committee last year agreed after public hearings and consideration that the original GCA proposal needed to be reconsidered before implementation.
On July 9, the State Board's Chairman Joseph Torsella announced a revised version of the plan that represented various changes desired by legislative leaders and a wide array of education stakeholders. The new plan would provide more flexibility for school districts when choosing appropriate and acceptable assessments, provide model curricula and diagnostic tools for school districts to utilize, consolidates and reduces the amount of student testing, and costs $40 million less than originally proposed.
Yesterday, Roebuck sent a letter to Torsella and other officials expressing his full support of the new plan and applauding the board's efforts to broaden the range of stakeholders involved in the process.
"I believe that the compromises embodied in the revised plan promotes greater accountability of students meeting academic standards, while preserving local control for school districts in determining high school graduation for their students," Roebuck said.
Roebuck said the new regulations would result in better and timelier testing of high school students. Model curricula and diagnostic tools designed by the state Department of Education would enhance local school district efforts to help students reach academic proficiency and result in more timely remedial efforts for struggling students, according to Roebuck.
"These new regulations would provide significant options for school districts to choose the high school graduation assessment that best meets their students' needs, and I fully support the option to choose alternative pathways for demonstrating academic proficiency for students who struggle with standardized tests," Roebuck said.
The lawmaker's letter encouraged the State Board to adopt the final form regulation, which he believes would ensure that the Pennsylvania high school diploma provides graduates with the knowledge, skills and tools to compete and succeed in the 21st century.
For more details on the Keystone Exam plan, visit the State Board's Web site at www.pde.state.pa.us/stateboard_ed.
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