Pocono News Section

PSSA's & Standardized Testing

PSSA's & Standardized Testing - Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 6:46PM EST

WILKES-BARRE -- Students are currently taking the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests and some are wary of using the results to measure the effectiveness of schools.
Supporters of the tests say they offer a good benchmark for progress in the education system and are essential to determine whether students are achieving the adequate yearly progress as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Critics say teachers are forced to teach to the test instead of focusing on a well-rounded education plan. They claim the tests are nothing more than a snapshot of a particular class and are not really representative of a schools progress.

WYOU Interactive discusses the PSSA's with Superintendent of the Central Columbia School District Harry Mathias and Superintendent of Northwest Area School District Nancy Tkatch.