PRINTER'S NO. 233
No. 207 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY E. Z. TAYLOR, RYBAK, SAURMAN, DORR, GODSHALL,
DEMPSEY, NOYE, SCHULER, DALEY, HERMAN, GEIST, McHALE,
J. L. WRIGHT, VAN HORNE, VROON, FOX, MORRIS, BUNT, COY,
FLICK, NAHILL, RAYMOND, MERRY, TIGUE, BORTNER, PRESTON, VEON,
FARMER, PETRARCA, JOHNSON, HARPER, TRELLO, ITKIN, BELFANTI,
HALUSKA, MAINE, GANNON, SERAFINI, ALLEN AND STABACK,
FEBRUARY 1, 1989
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 1, 1989
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
2 act relating to the public school system, including certain
3 provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
4 schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
5 laws relating thereto," further prohibiting the use of
6 written standardized entrance aptitude tests as factors for
7 the admission of individuals having dyslexia.
8 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
9 hereby enacts as follows:
10 Section 1. Section 1841 of the act of March 10, 1949
11 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, added
12 or amended December 6, 1972 (P.L.1417, No.308) and December 28,
13 1972 (P.L.1645, No.346), is amended to read:
14 Section 1841. Area Vocational-Technical Schools and
15 Technical Institutes Authorized.--An area vocational-technical
16 board may establish, maintain, conduct and operate schools,
17 departments or classes to prepare for vocational industrial,
18 vocational agricultural, vocational homemaking, business and
1 vocational distributive occupations, technical occupations, such
2 as aides and assistants, in physical, biological, space and
3 other sciences, mathematics, engineering, construction and
4 design, computer programming and maintenance, and health
5 occupations and for any other occupations requiring vocational
6 or technical training and education, to be known as "area
7 vocational-technical schools," for the education of pupils, out-
8 of-school youth and adults residing in the attendance area.
9 Under no circumstances, however, shall any resident of this
10 Commonwealth who has been diagnosed as having dyslexia be
11 required to take any written standardized entrance aptitude test
12 to gain admission to a program for adults operated by a school
13 or institute as defined in section 1840.1. In lieu of such
14 standardized testing, dyslexic individuals shall undergo an oral
15 examination procedure.
16 An area vocational-technical board or several area
17 vocational-technical boards jointly may provide for, establish,
18 maintain, conduct and operate schools, departments, or classes
19 to be known as "technical institute" to educate, train and offer
20 post high school programs and courses of not more than two
21 years' duration, which will prepare out-of-school youth and
22 adults for competency in sub-professional, technical, health
23 service, business, commercial, merchandising and skilled
24 occupations and for any other occupations for which technical
25 training is helpful to an employer and increases students'
26 qualifications for employment. Technical institute programs and
27 courses shall be coordinated with those offered in area
28 vocational-technical schools to insure progressive advancement
29 of students. Such institutes shall be organized in accordance
30 with proposals of area vocational-technical boards of school
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1 directors, which are approved by the State Board for Vocational
2 Education. All technical institutes shall be established,
3 operated and in all respects conform to standards prepared by
4 the Department of Education and adopted by the State Board for
5 Vocational Education. Area vocational-technical schools, as
6 approved by the State Board for Vocational Education, may be
7 organized as vocational-technical service centers in which
8 pupils may enroll full-time or in which pupils enrolled in
9 academic high schools may elect to attend part-time. Technical
10 institutes approved by the State Board for Vocational Education
11 may enroll out-of-school youth and adults full-time or part-time
12 as the students may elect.
13 Area vocational-technical school and technical institute
14 attendance areas and standards for courses and equipment shall
15 be in conformity with standards prepared by the Department of
16 Education and approved by the State Board for Vocational
17 Education.
18 Section 2. Section 2006-A(a)(6) of the act, added November
19 12, 1982 (P.L.660, No.188), is amended to read:
20 Section 2006-A. Powers and Duties of the Board of
21 Governors.--(a) The Board of Governors shall have overall
22 responsibility for planning and coordinating the development and
23 operation of the system. The powers and duties of the Board of
24 Governors shall be:
25 * * *
26 (6) To establish general policies for the admission of
27 students and to assure procedural protection for the discipline
28 and expulsion of students. The actual admission of students
29 shall remain the province of the individual institutions. Under
30 no circumstances, however, shall any applicant who has been
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1 diagnosed as having dyslexia be required to take any written
2 standardized college entrance aptitude test to gain admission to
3 a system institution. In lieu of such standardized testing,
4 dyslexic individuals shall undergo an oral examination
5 procedure.
6 * * *
7 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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