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A better approach to high school graduationThe momentum is building to create greater flexibility into graduation requirements by providing students with alternative pathways in addition to Keystone Exams to demonstrate readiness for success after high school.Pennsylvania is at an important crossroad in ensuring that public school students are ready for the future – a future that could include many different pathways to success. Current state regulations adopted by the State Board of Education in 2014 under Title 22, Chapter 4, require students to pass three Keystone Exams in Literature, Algebra I and Biology in order to graduate. In addition, the regulations require students who are not proficient on any Keystone Exam to be provided supplemental instruction and re-take the exam(s) or complete one or more project-based assessments.

Although the graduation requirement was intended to begin with the Class of 2017, the General Assembly has rightly delayed the effective date twice. The delays were enacted amid concerns that this approach is not and should not be the only appropriate measure of stu-dent proficiency or become a barrier in being eligible to graduate. Using the Keystone Exams for graduation purposes adds a high-stakes element to these stan-dardized tests that can pose a significant challenge to segments of students who otherwise can demonstrate educational ability and postsecondary/career readiness. Policymakers now have an opportunity to change this one-size-fits-all system and establish alternate pathways for students to graduate. (Note: Because Keystone Exams are also used as the statewide assessment for federal accountability, students continue to take these tests but the results are not currently counted as a graduation requirement.)


Pennsylvania’s moratorium, search for optionsThe first delay in using Keystone Exams as a gradua-tion requirement came under Act 1 of 2016. This law served two purposes – it pushed the pause button on the Keystones for graduation for two years, until 2019. That pause was to be used for the second pur-pose of Act 1, which was to require the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to research the issue and recommend valid options for graduation. The Act 1 report issued by PDE in August 2016 acknowledged that the current graduation require-ments fail to provide students with a sufficient num-ber of measures to demonstrate mastery of content and readiness for postsecondary success. The report stated that “there are multiple measures for students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to be college and career ready. As postsecondary success looks different for different students, sever-al measures of readiness for postsecondary success are valid and appropriate as state level graduation requirements.” The Act 1 report recommended four options for students to demonstrate readiness. They include: Option 1) achieve a composite score based on per-formance of all three Keystone Exams; Option 2) achieve equivalent scores on alternate assessments approved by PDE; Option 3) for students who are career and technical education (CTE) concentrators, demonstrate competency through course grades and related assessments as well as industry-based tests consistent with their career plan; and Option 4) demonstrate competency through course grades and related assessments as well as evidence related to postsecondary plans.1

First pathway enacted for CTE studentsThe options generated much discussion, with the first focus on the need to provide flexibility for students in career and technical education programs. This lead to the passage of Act 6 of 2017 which established alternative pathways aligned with Option 3. Act 6 allows CTE students to demonstrate proficiency by completing locally established grade-based require-ments for academic content areas associated with the Keystone Exams on which the CTE student did not achieve proficiency; and attain an industry-based competency certification on tests such as the Nation-al Occupation Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI)

or the NIMS (National Institute of Metal-workers Skills). With elements of Option 3 enacted into law, the General As-sembly and the gov-ernor showed their willingness to con-sider changes. With more time needed to explore the issue and the moratorium under Act 1 looming close, Act 55 of 2017 was put into place to ex-tend the delay for one additional year until the 2019-20 school year. Act 55 gives leg-islators and stakehold-ers the needed time to consider and approve additional alternate pathways for graduation for all students.

More states ending exit examsA rising discontent with the use of graduation tests is happening nationwide. Research shows that many states are eliminating or scaling back high school exit exams. From a high of 27 states that had or planned to have graduation tests, just 13 required them for the 2016-17 school year. In the past few years, elev-en states ended their tests or imposed a moratorium, including Pennsylvania that adopted a moratorium before their tests went into effect. Six states retroac-tively granted diplomas to students who had been denied them based on test scores. A few states still plan to impose new tests, and a few others have or will require state exams that count as part of course grades.2

PSBA, stakeholders draft legislative proposalPSBA and education stakeholder groups including the PA Association for School Administrators, PA Principals Association and the PA Education Associ-ation have listened to the concerns and recommen-dations from the field regarding graduation require-ments. Among the top issues that need to be broadly


NOW IS THE TIME TO FIX OUR BROKEN GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS BY PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH MULTIPLE PATHWAYS FOR DEMONSTRATING READINESS FOR GRADUATION IN ADDITION TO PASSING KEYSTONE EXAMS.

A better approach to high school graduation2


addressed are to provide fair and valid options for students that reflect different strengths and goals, and to address time, resource and cost concerns associated with supplemental instruction and proj-ect-based assessments that proved to be unwieldly and unworkable.

Using the PDE Act 1 Report recommendations as a basis for a new proposal, the stakeholder groups worked with legislators, including Sena-tors Thomas McGarrigle (R-Chester/Delaware) and Thomas Killion (R-Chester/Delaware), to draft a proposal. The proposal has been in-troduced as Senate Bill 1095 and includes these valid, alternate pathways to graduation:

Option 1: Composite score on Keystone ExamsA student meets or exceeds a state-spec-ified composite score across the three Key-stone Exams and per-formance in all three test content areas is at least basic.

Option 2: Local grade requirements + alternative assess-ments or appren-ticeshipsA student completes

locally established minimum grades in the associated academic content areas of the Keystone Exams (any science & technology and environment & ecology course may fulfill the requirement) and one of the following: • A state-defined Keystone equivalent score on

an AP/IB exam in the associated Keystone Exam content area

• The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Bat-tery Test (ASVAB) at a performance level that would qualify the student for military enlist-ment

• Certification that the student will begin work in a registered apprenticeship program follow-ing high school

• Attainment of a career readiness certificate through satisfactory completion of the ACT WorkKeys® Assessment

Option 3: Local grade requirements + additional CTE evidence of readiness The stakeholders support the flexibility already provided for CTE concentrators under Act 6 of 2017. The proposal simply includes new language to clarify the law about who determines a student’s likelihood of success and when that determination is made so that CTE concentrators have sufficient time to explore alternate pathways when needed.

Option 4: Local grade requirements + additional evidence of readiness A student completes locally established minimum grades in the associated academic content areas of the Keystone Exams (any science & technology and environment & ecology course may fulfill the requirement) and presentation of three or more pieces of evidence consistent with a student’s goals and career plan as represented in the student’s Ca-reer Portfolio, and that reflects the student’s readi-ness for graduation. These may include but are not limited to: • Passing grade in a dual enrollment course or

any postsecondary course at an accredited nonprofit institution of higher education

• Completion of any AP/IB exam at a perfor-mance level established by the secretary of education

• Acceptance to an accredited nonprofit institu-tion of higher education

• Receiving a guaranteed full-time employment letter

• Attainment of an industry-recognized creden-tial

• Receiving a certificate of successful completion of an internship, externship or cooperative education program

• Completion of an SAT or ACT subject-specific test at a performance level established by the secretary of education

• Compliance with the NCAA core courses for college-bound athletes with a minimum set GPA or equivalence

Under the proposal, the existing requirement for project-based assessments would be eliminated. In addition, the proposal would allow, but not man-date, schools to offer supplemental instruction and allow students to choose to participate. If offered, the instruction may not interfere with a student’s dedicated time in a career and technical education


THE PROVISIONS OF SENATE BILL 1095 ENSURE A

THOUGHTFUL APPROACH AND

ACCOUNTABILITY FOR STUDENT

POSTSECONDARY/CAREER

READINESS.


program and must allow all students to participate in both the supplemental instruction and instruction relat-ing to their career portfolios. The legislation further em-phasizes student readiness for graduation by prioritizing student postsecondary/career planning and tying student objectives to graduation options. Further, school districts would develop policies and procedures for the develop-ment of student portfolios consistent with PDE guidance.

Accountable, rigorous, valid

The future looks different for every student, whether it be postsecondary education, employment, military or some other career pathway that they choose. Measures of success should be aligned to the student’s career goals and reflect the coursework and achievements earned. Demonstrating readiness for success beyond high school should not be narrowly limited to scoring proficient on Keystone Exams. The question must be asked – does this current exit exam requirement most fully demonstrate the readiness of every student to take his or her individ-ual chosen steps to success after high school? The assessment strategies used by our public schools must be rigorous, valid and meaningful. In cre-ating new state-level graduation requirements, this new proposal recognizes these issues by allowing various assessments and pieces of evidence to be used to show proficiency in the knowledge and skills relevant to stu-dents’ individual career pathways. Attaining success on various assessments and performance-based programs along with coursework grades provides a rigorous and more appropriate overall measure of readiness for grad-uation. The proposal also incorporates the importance of the state’s sharpening focus on career preparation. Career Education and Work academic standards are required education for all public school students. Fur-ther, Pennsylvania is the only state to include a K-12

career readiness indicator in its accountability plan for compliance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The structure calls for students to demonstrate engagement in career exploration and preparation activities by the end of grades 5, 8 and 11. Students will be creating individualized career plans and developing a portfolio with numerous pieces of evidence tied to their plans. Public school entities are required to report on the percentages of students who meet the required benchmarks. The provisions of the new legislative pro-posal working with the requirements of Pennsylvania’s ESSA State Plan ensure a thoughtful approach and ac-countability for student postsecondary/career readiness.

ConclusionAs success looks different for different students, bet-ter measures of readiness should be used as valid and appropriate graduation requirements. With this recog-nition comes the opportunity to revise Pennsylvania’s mandate to pass three Keystone Exams to receive a diploma. Originally expected to be implemented for the 2016-17 school year, the General Assembly has delayed the effective date of the mandate until 2019-20 so that a new plan can be adopted. That new plan should lessen the high-stakes impact of the Keystone Exams, elimi-nate barriers to success and provide alternate pathways for students to demonstrate competency. PSBA and other education stakeholders have come together to support a legislative proposal that contains options that are fair, rigorous and feasible. Based on the recommendations in PDE’s Act 1 report, the proposal’s options fit together with the state’s requirements for stu-dents to develop a career plan and portfolio that con-tains pieces of evidence relevant to their specific goals. The time is now for the education community and the General Assembly to work to achieve this positive change for students.


(Endnotes)1 Pennsylvania Department of Education. (Aug. 2016) Findings and Recommendations Pursuant to Act 1 of 2016. http://www.education.pa.gov/documents/k-12/pde%20act%201%20report.pdf

2 The National Center for Fair and Open Testing. (June 2017) Graduation Test Update: States That Recently Eliminated or Scaled Back High School Exit Exams. http://fairtest.org/graduation-test-update-states-recently-eliminated

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