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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 9, 2015 04:15 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Dan Truitt |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Repealing the Keystone Exam Graduation Requirement Mandate |
| There are some subjects about which our constituents are divided and there are some subjects about which they are mostly united. I feel confident that most of us have found that our constituents overwhelmingly DESPISE the fact that students will soon be required to pass three Keystone exams to obtain a high school diploma. As such, I will soon be re-introducing my HB-2317 from the last session which would prohibit the Department of Education (PDE) or the State Board of Education from imposing any requirement for students to pass a Keystone Exam in order to receive a high-school diploma. A copy of my bill from the last session is attached. I fully understand the need for accountability and why the business community feels there is a need for end-of-course assessments to ensure that our students are actually learning what they need to learn to succeed in the modern world. I have often said in public settings that we owe students an education, not a diploma. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that a lot of students are having trouble passing these exams and we don’t really know why. Do the students not know the material? Are they bad at taking tests? Are the tests poorly aligned with curriculum? Are the tests being administered at the wrong time of the year? I don’t think we really know the answers to these questions, and until we do, I don’t think we should be creating a situation where a single, high-stakes test can block a student from getting a high-school diploma. Yes, we have alternatives, but, these alternatives are time-consuming and expensive at a time when school district resources are scarce. Ultimately, I think we need to “repeal and replace” this mandate. However, time is growing short and I think we need to get to the “repeal” part of this process soon, before too many students are impacted in a negative way. I hope that you will join me in supporting this legislation. Previous Co-Sponsors: TRUITT, RAPP, BARRAR, GIBBONS, JAMES, V. BROWN, HEFFLEY, TALLMAN, LUCAS, YOUNGBLOOD, COHEN AND COX |
Introduced as HB172