Please see the article below from PennLive.com:
Move to stall Keystone Exams faces uphill fight
House education chairman says he has no plans to take up a resolution to hold off high school graduation testing.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
BY JAN MURPHY jmurphy@patriot-news.com
The proposal to attach tests to high school graduation continues to stir controversy in the state Capitol.
A House resolution introduced this week calls for slowing the plan's approval and requiring it to gain House and Senate approval before any more money is spent on it. The resolution has the backing of 145 of the 203 House members.
Rep. Paul Clymer, R-Bucks, who sponsored the resolution to slow the plan, said the strong backing of Republican and Democratic House members reflects widespread opposition to moving ahead with the initiative. The state plans to invest $18.3 million this year to implement the initiative, and $176 million through the next five years.
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"We need to take another look before the Keystone Exams" are approved, Clymer said.
The State Board of Education approved the statewide graduation requirements last month to ensure graduates leave high school with skills needed in college or the workplace. It requires students pass either state exams, advanced placement or international baccalaureate exams, or a state-approved local assessment in four core subjects to graduate. Students who fail can complete a project instead.
The plan is now making its way through the state's regulatory approval process, which does not include a vote by the full House or Senate. The Senate Education Committee endorsed the plan last month.
In his resolution, Clymer cites education groups that oppose the plan or have withdrawn their support. It also mentions the Pennsylvania State Conference of the NAACP's position that the change could lead to higher dropout rates and increase the prison population.
At a Wednesday meeting, Clymer informed the State Board of Education of his resolution and asked for a response. Board Chairman Joseph Torsella, who led the effort to strike a compromise with education groups and legislators on the initiative, said the resolution raises no new issues.
The resolution has been sent to the House Education Committee for consideration. That committee's chairman, Rep. James Roebuck, D-Philadelphia, said he supports the Keystone Exams and at this point, has no intention of bringing the resolution to a vote
"I'm not quite certain what the intent of the resolution is," Roebuck said.
He noted Clymer did not participate in conversations that Torsella orchestrated to address concerns about the plan. Furthermore, Roebuck said he told Clymer that he would consider having the committee discuss the resolution after the 2009-10 state budget is finalized.
House Republican spokesman Steve Miskin said that timing makes no sense because funding for the initiative is part of the budget discussion.
Clymer and Rep. Rosita Youngblood, D-Philadelphia, sent a letter Wednesday to Roebuck asking him to reconsider his position on taking up the resolution.
"With overwhelming support for our resolution, we hope that you will allow the committee to act on this legislation and provide answers and accountability to the people of this state," it states.
Given how this process has gone so far, I am not optimistic about this move working. There has been widespread opposition to these exams from the outset and somehow the Governor and a few members of the legislature have been able to shield these exams from being shut down.
Please consider giving your state representative a call to voice your opinion on the matter. State Representative Matt Smith is a co-sponsor of the current bill (HR 456) that would prevent any further tax dollars from going to these new high school graduation requirements.
Thanks for reading.
James
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