Officials worried about cost of graduation tests

From the BCCT.

Officials worried about cost of graduation tests
By RACHEL CANELLI

Although school directors are relieved that they’ll get to keep some control over statemandated graduation tests, officials are still worried about their cost.

The state Department of Education and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association struck a compromise on graduation requirements this week, reducing tensions from the past two years not only at the state level but among area school boards.

The deal will let districts use their own tests for math, English, social studies and science as long as they meet state standards. The state Education Department will split the costs of verifying the tests’ quality with local districts.

“One thing we did not need was yet another unfunded state mandate,” said Neshaminy school board member William Spitz.

He added he was pleased state education officials accepted the school board association’s input. Spitz described the proposal as strengthening graduation requirements, while allowing districts to decide what works best for them.

The agreement cleared a major hurdle to the controversial graduation competency tests by preserving the right of school districts to administer their own tests. It also delays implementation of the tests for an additional year, in place for students who graduate in 2015.

“Each district needs the flexibility and latitude to do what is best for their student population and additional state mandates are not the answer, especially unfunded mandates,” said Gregory Lucidi, president of the Pennsbury school board.

Under a new policy, juniors in that district, next year’s graduating class, will have to pass the Pennsylvania System of School Assessments in reading and math to receive diplomas, officials said. Teachers there also use alternative assessments and student portfolios to gauge pupils’ success, administrators said.

Even though Lucidi acknowledged the state’s willingness to contribute financially to the new assessments, he said it’s still not enough because taxpayers will end up footing the bill.

That’s a “huge challenge” to ask of taxpayers, especially in the current financial climate, said Harry Kramer, president of the Bensalem school board.

“Districts all over Bucks are trying to save and cut expenses without sacrificing education,” Kramer said.

But officials said they don’t know the price tag of administering the tests because it involves staffing and materials.

“There is no funding to help the students prepare for these exams, or funding to support students who cannot prove proficiency under these new rules,” said Lucidi. “I believe PDE needs to be less concerned with doing the jobs of locally elected school boards and needs to focus on more critical issues such as skyrocketing pension and special education costs.”

But the state Department of Education has argued for the graduation competency exams, saying studies show too many high school graduates aren’t prepared for higher education or work and local tests are inadequate.

State law passed last July established a one-year moratorium on any regulations regarding high school graduation requirements. The State Board of Education will continue its public hearing and input process over the next several months and will formally revisit the proposed regulations once the moratorium expires at the end of June 2009.

That’s one reason why Bristol Township school board President W. Earl Bruck said he’s reluctant to pass final judgment on the plan.

Bruck called the agreement encouraging and promising, but said his other major concern is whether the regulations will be imposed on charter, cyber and non-public schools as well.

“While there could still be an unfunded cost to local school boards, it is certainly less imposing than the proposal previously presented by the PDE,” said Bruck. “[It] reflects a recognition by the PDE that local school boards really do have the best interest of the children at heart and that their opposition to the previous plan was primarily the imposition of more involuntary, unfunded mandates.”

Staff writers Manasee Wagh and Joan Hellyer and the Associated Press contributed to this report.