Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The new state-mandated tests have caused a need for a change.
Upper St. Clair School District administrators are recommending the school board adopt new graduation requirements for the current freshmen, sophomores and juniors at the high school. The policy must be changed because Pennsylvania no longer gives PSSAs to juniors, which are part of the current graduation requirement for Upper St. Clair High School. In the proposal, students would continue to be required to earn at least 45 credits (eight English; six math; six social studies; six science; four arts/humanities; three physical education; one health; 11 electives) and continue to complete a career-focused graduation project. The change? A new requirement for students to demonstrate proficiency on the Keystone exam for algebra I, English …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
A decision must be made soon for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 classes.
The Upper St. Clair School District is working to redefine its graduation requirements for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 high school classes. Because the Keystone Exams have started, the PSSA is no longer available for 11th or 12th graders. No district in the state was informed of the change until right before the current school year. Here are four decisions that administrators said must be made: The administration will have a proposal for the school board in February.
Monday, December 3, 2012
The exams are described as a 'dramatic change' for the district.
The Upper St. Clair School District today is set to administer the first wave of new statewide standardized tests, according to the school calendar. "The Keystone Exams are a dramatic change for us (the district)," said Judith Bulazo, director of curriculum and professional development. High school juniors will be tested in algebra, literature and biology. Students in lower grades who have completed courses in those subjects will also take the exams. The subject-specific Keystone Exams will eventually replace the longstanding PSSAs. This year’s eighth graders will have to pass the math, English and biology Keystone Exams—which are not attached to a grade level—by their senior year in order to earn a high school diploma. Students who fail …
Glenn Robinson
3:20 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
True, the graduation requirements are minimum requirements. They should insure that a student has the ability to become a productive member of society, not necessarily succeed in college (which is what the SAT and ACT are designed to measure). I'd rather see some skills tests rather than subject based knowledge tests, i.e. can students reason, think critically, differentiate between opinion and … more ›