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According to an article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Pennsylvania Education Secretary Ron Tomalis is considering whether his department should file for a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind legislation that in its current form calls for all students to test proficient in math and reading on annual achievement exams by 2014. If Pennsylvania does not apply and receive approval for a waiver, the state will be held to the current requirements of the NCLB, which calls for 100 percent proficiency by 2014. Statewide, in 2011, 94 percent of the 500 districts made progress targets, but only 46.9 percent made it based on student performance. Click here to read the Pittsburgh Post Gazette article.

Source: myPLS, The Eye Opener, June 4, 2012.

For anyone who was unable to participate in one of the sessions entitled “Understanding AYP 2012,” presented by the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Assessment and Accountability, a session was recorded and can be found at accessed at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/590418098.

The handouts to accompany this presentation can be accessed at: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/2012_ayp/20803.

U.S. News & World Report reviewed 21,776 U.S. public high schools; 193 Pennsylvania schools made the rankings.

Click here for Pennsylvania schools list.

Source: http://www.usnews.com.

This week, the State Board of Education gave its initial approval to draft revisions to Chapter 4 regulations (Academic Standards and Assessment), with many of the changes relating to high school graduation requirements and Keystone Exams. (Click here to read the PDE press release.) The approved draft included numerous changes to the version discussed at its last meeting in March; the Chapter 4 revisions will now be subject to the first stage of the regulatory review process. There will be additional opportunities for comment and change before the proposal becomes final and effective.

Among the key provisions of the revised Chapter 4 proposal:

• The proposal references the Common Core Standards as the Pennsylvania Common Core Standards and requires full implementation of the PA
Common Core in English Language Arts and Mathematics by July 1, 2013.
• The proposal removes the requirement for districts to complete state-prescribed strategic planning every six years. However, when a district’s current strategic plan is expired it will have to submit five plans currently required under other regulations to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) for approval as follows: Every six years plans for teacher induction (Ch. 49), student services (Ch. 12) and gifted education (Ch. 16). Every three years, plans for professional development (Ch. 49), and special education (Ch. 14).
• The plan changes the security policies for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment by removing the current right of parents/guardians to review the exams prior to administration, except to determine whether the assessment conflicts with their religious beliefs.
• The proposal extends the current graduation requirements to the Class of 2016, and new graduation requirements will begin with the Class of 2017.
• The proposal eliminates the requirement for students to complete a culminating project in order to graduate.
• The number of Keystone Exams that will be offered will be reduced from 10 to 3, and they will be in these content areas: Algebra I, Literature and Biology.
• Two additional Keystone Exams will be required in future years contingent upon state funds being available for development of them and the project based assessment with each. Beginning with the class of 2019, students will also have to pass a Composition Keystone Exam. Beginning with the class of 2020, students will also have to pass a Civics and Government Keystone Exam.
• Therefore, beginning with the Class of 2020, students will have to pass five Keystone Exams in order to graduate.
• The department will develop five additional Keystone Exams that will be available for voluntary use by districts, subject to funding by the state. The tests and schedule is as follows: In school year 2016-17: Geometry; in 2017-18: U.S. History; in 2018-19: Algebra II; in 2019-20: Chemistry; and in 2020-21: World History.
• Students must score proficient or above in the five required Keystone Exams in order to graduate. The exams will be stand-alone assessments and the requirement for a test score to count as one-third of the student’s grade is removed.
• Students who do not demonstrate proficiency must participate in supplemental instruction until they demonstrate proficiency on the exam or exam module complete a project-based assessment. Project-based assessments will not be developed for the five non-required Keystone Exams.
• A new “emergency waiver” option is created for 12th grade students who were not successful in completing the Keystone Exams or the project-based assessment. The chief school may request waivers from secretary of education on a case-by-case basis for good cause for those identified students.
• A chief school administrator who requests waivers for more than 10% of students who participated in a project-based assessment must submit an action plan for approval to the secretary. The plan must identify improvements that school will implement to each course associated with the Keystone Exam content for which the waivers were requested.

Source: PSBA Legislative Report, May 11, 2012.

According to an article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, a state budget for next year that would spend $500 million more than the governor's proposal passed the Senate on Wednesday, setting up weeks of give-and-take between the Corbett administration and Republican legislative leaders. The $27.65 billion Senate plan was approved on a vote of 39-8, and now awaits further action in the House. Click here to read the Pittsburgh Post Gazette article.

The Senate plans to start voting today on a $27.6 billion state budget bill that would restore about $500 million of the spending cuts proposed earlier this year by Gov. Tom Corbett. The Senate leadership is proposing to put at least $50 million back in school districts.

Click here to read full article from pennlive.com.

Click here to read full article from the Scranton Times-Tribune.