Pages

▼

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

School District Changes Graduation Requirements To Require PSSA Proficiency

As discussed earlier (and again) on Blog-Lebo, the school board has discussed changing the district's graduation requirements to place more emphasis on the PSSA exams. This change was recommended by the district's superintendent, Dr. Timothy Steinhauer, who said it would help motivate students to take the tests more seriously.

Last night, in a 6-2 vote, the school board adopted the change. On her blog, school-board director Jo Posti writes about it:
Last night, the Board passed a resolution to [revise] graduation requirements to include proficiency on the eleventh grade PSSAs with a 6-2 vote (Cappucci and Birks against, Fraasch absent)... This change adds a requirement that our competitor districts already require, provides remediation to students who require additional support in mastering subjects, and allows for a variety of methods to fulfill that remediation requirement should it be necessary. It will also, in my opinion, provide better motivation for students to demonstrate their capabilities to the best of their ability on a state-mandated test that is used to fulfill NCLB requirements for proficiency.
As I've written earlier, I think this change was inevitable. As long as other school districts work to maximize their test scores, our district will be forced to do likewise to remain competitive.

Read more:Updated 2010-08-23 09:25: added link to Tribune-Review coverage. —Tom
at

3 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 17, 2010 10:52 AM

    Just curious . . . why did Cappucci and Birks oppose it?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 17, 2010 11:06 AM

    Dave,
    Last night's meeting was recorded and is available in a podcast to all citizens at www.lebocitizens.com. You can hear their own words. You don't have to listen to the whole meeting, just slide the cursor to where they are talking about it. I also have the agenda posted to give you an idea of where to start. Hope that helps.
    Elaine Gillen

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousAugust 17, 2010 11:30 AM

    Dave Franklin:

    Go to this site for some insight perhaps behind their reasoning.
    http://www.alleghenyinstitute.org/component/content/article/472.html

    Dean Spahr

    ReplyDelete

PLEASE NOTE: On Blog-Lebo, we do not publish anonymous comments. You must put your name to your words. Include your full name in the text of your comment (usually at the end), and you’ll be fine. Or post from a Blogger account having a public profile that includes your full name. Either way will work. But if you don’t include your name, or if we have reason to believe the name on your comment isn’t authentic, we will not be able to publish your comment.

Why must I use my full name?
When you post a comment on Blog-Lebo, you are making a public statement. Therefore, we require that you accept responsibility for your words. Just like at a public meeting of the school board or municipal government, when you stand to speak on Blog-Lebo, you must state your full name. That way, everyone will know who is speaking, and you will know that you’re responsible for what you say.