Today Governor Tom Wolf signed into law Senate Bill 880, which takes several actions with respect to the Keystone Exams and hints that this exam may be on its way to extinction.
First, the bill postpones the requirement that Keystone Exams be used as a requirement for graduation until the 2018-2019 school year. It also eliminates the Keystone Exam as the benchmark to determine if a student should participate in a project-based assessment to meet the graduation requirements for the same timeframe. Second, the bill requires that PDE develop an alternative to the Keystone Exam and provide information regarding the same to the Legislature in six months.
But Maybe Not Gone Entirely…
The law was passed in response to significant concerns about the Keystone Exam raised by a broad spectrum of advocacy groups. While Senate Bill 880 postpones the use of the Keystone Exam as a graduation requirement, it is not clear if PDE will continue to administer the test for other purposes.
Bottom Line
As a result, Districts and Charter Schools should review their current graduation requirements to determine if they wish to revise them to eliminate any Keystone Exam requirements that are currently included.
We will continue to watch this story and share developments as they occur. If you have any questions about this topic, please contact your legal counsel or an attorney with the KingSpry Education Law Practice Group.
School Law Bullets are a publication of the school law attorneys of KingSpry’s Education Law Practice Group. John E. Freund, III, is our editor. The article is meant to be informational and does not constitute legal advice.
