Is it time to put the brakes on the number of standardized tests that students must take? In this article, Pennsylvania legislators say that the graduation rate will decline if state testing requirements are left in place.
“By 2017, in order to graduate high school in Pennsylvania, students must pass three state standardized tests: algebra, literature and biology.
Based on most recent student scores — especially in biology — if trends continue, Pennsylvania will soon see far fewer of its students walking down the aisle in cap and gown.
“In order to preempt that reality, state Rep. Mike Tobash (R-Dauphin County) has introduced a bill that would repeal the state-mandated graduation requirement, leaving the decision to local school districts.
“The children of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, they need to learn, they need to be assessed, but when we’ve gone so far that we end up handcuffing our educational system with really an overwhelming amount of standardized assessment,” said Tobash. “We need to stop and put the brakes on here, take a look at it.”
“The bill would also halt the creation and implementation of the seven other subject-specific Keystone exams called for by existing state law.
Tobash, who testified on the matter at a hearing at Philadelphia City Hall in November, is skeptical that the tests are actually judging students on material that’s applicable to modern workforce.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It makes sense that all kids would need to be proficient at algebra, literature and biology. I use all three of those every single day in my job – I couldn’t get by without them.
Oh, wait, no I don’t and yes I could. I don’t think I could pass an algebra test if my life depended on it. Maybe not biology either. Literature, probably yes, but that’s because it’s one of my personal passions (on my job I never have to/get to read anything more interesting than legalese). If I had to pass a test on literature, I’d probably hate it.
“I don’t think I could pass an algebra test if my life depended on it. Maybe not biology either.”
You probably could if you were taking an algebra or biology class. In the long run, we all become idiots.
In 1970, I might have passed the Algebra test but not today. All the Algebra classes I took were in a community college 1968-1970 after I got out of the service. Haven’t used anything that I learned in Algebra, Trig, Calculus, and Geometry since—in 45 years. Safe bet to say it’s mostly lost and forgotten.
This excess of standardized testing leading to lower graduation rates completely makes sense. Students stress over tests like the SAT and voluntary AP tests but these required test on subjects that students may not excel is a whole different idea. The fact that they focus on one area, such as biology, is probably a huge issue for many students who are not “science people.” Also, the standardization of more tests would not seem to be the best way to evaluate students. Rather that mastering what they are taught in the classrooms, their studies and focus probably revolves around these tests. If the state mandate were repealed, I wonder if there would even be a purpose in individual school districts keeping it.
California implemented competency based tests in reading, writing and math years before I left teaching in 2005. I think the competency testing in California started in the 1980s.
The bar was set at a 9th grade level competency for these areas as one of the requirements for high school graduation—at the time one of the highest minimum competencies in the United States. In fact, I read that G. W. Bush when he was governor of Texas set the competency bar at 4th grade to boost high school graduation rates, and that minimum competency level requirement was one of the lowest in the country but it gave him (false) bragging rights when he ran for president, because the minimum competency in Texas was never mentioned in those PR ads with the HS graduation rate in Texas.
In California, students first took the test in 10th grade and once they passed one of the tests they were never required to take that test again. If they didn’t make the grade in one or more of the tests, after school tutoring was available along with summer school classes that ended each summer with another chance at passing those tests with the minimum score or better.
It was possible by HS graduation to have taken one or more of those tests several times to prove the child had reached the competency level that qualified them to graduate. All the extra help, the tutoring and summer school classes, were all voluntary. And during the summer before the senior year, students who hadn’t passed the competency were also told that there were night classes available at the local community college to help them reach the minimum competency.
When NCLB, RTTT and the CC Crap came along, about half the states had competency tests in place as a requirement to graduate from high school so minimum competency were in place and spreading across the country before CC rank and yank came along with support from Bill Gates money.
The new DOE requirement sets the bar at college ready and that would be much higher than 9th grade.
High school was never meant to turn out 100% of the children as college ready. It was meant to provide an avenue for students mature enough and with goals to go to college to achieve that goal but at the same time, children and parents who were not headed to college could graduate from high school with at least a high school degree that said they had a minimum competency of 9th grade and they passed all the mandatory classes in English, history, match, science, PE, etc. to prove they had a basic acceptable high school education.
NYS has instituted similar requirements in 5 subject areas. Students must pass those Regents exams in order to graduate. It’s nearly impossible to earn just the “local” diploma. I keep asking myself, though, why is not earning a passing grade in these, or any, subjects sufficient anymore?
Oh wait, I forgot. Producing standardized tests is a money-maker. This was never really about “quality control”, just increasing the customer ba$e.
Yes. $$$. I would like to take it a step further. Bring back the tried and proven textbook for curriculum study. They can be reused each year, as opposed to buying the latest “consumable” materials each year – putting dollars in the pockets of publishers – not to mention school administrators.
The TRUE test is that which helps or hinders society at large.
Too bad our politicians cannot recognize that but rely on the junk science noted in another blog.
New York has had the 5 required Regents …Algebra 1, Global Studies, US History, English 11 and one Science – Biology or Earth Science. It’s a struggle for some students who fail these exams continually….guess they could move to PA.
My Mom mentioned that in 1948 she had to pass competency tests in all subjects in order to graduate. If you could not pass, you were given a certificate of participation in HS instead of a diploma. It appears we are going backward in education instead of forward.
In 1948, people could get excellent jobs without a high school diploma. That isn’t the case anymore. So when people (not you AlwaysLearning) start grousing that we are becoming more “stupid” as a nation, I remind them of this. A lot of people in the early part of the 20th century didn’t graduate from high school, but they could still make a living. By instituting these tests, the idiot policy makers are creating a permanent underclass that will cost more in the long run. These legislators are idiots.
Isn’t this the lying Duncan was accusing teachers of? I thought the whole point was to be “objective” – now when the graduation rate matters they back away to protect themselves.
Make no mistake – it’s not for the kids, it’s their own political survival.