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Pocono News Section
Passing the PSSA - Part 2
Passing the PSSA - Part 2 - Monday, March 9, 2009 at 8:08PM EST
Reported by: Kyla Campbell
Monday, Mar 9, 2009 @ 08:08pm EST
NEPA -- We first told you about our PSSA experiment in Part I. We found people with diplomas and college degrees to take the 11th grade sample exam for reading and math.
Trey Phillips is the President of Phillips' Supply House in Williamsport and earned a civil engineering degree.
"Oh, I sat there and scratched my head and guessed on several of them because I couldn't figure them out," admitted Phillips.
While his math score was below basic, he scored proficiently in reading.
Joy McGinnis, CEO of the Berwick United Way and former attorney, was below basic in math, but missed just one reading question. She thinks the measuring stick should be altered.
"I think it should be mostly reading, because that seems to be the more important skill," said McGinnis. "We have to read and comprehend information every day."
Carbondale Mayor Justin Taylor said the test was nerve-racking. He scored proficient on reading comprehension, but his math score was below basic. He says the math on the exam isn't stuff people use every day.
"There are kids that come out of high school that don't know how to balance a checkbook or calculate miles per gallon, things that are more real-life, usable pieces of information," said Taylor.
Snyder County District Attorney Michael Sholley's reading score was proficient, but his math score was below basic.
"I was surprised math was as low as it was," said Sholley. "But when I was in high school, I don't think kids needed geometry to graduate, and now it's part of the standardized test, so that surprised me."
Most of our off-air test-takers' results were similar. The average math score was 60% and the average reading score was 92%. Many of them told us it's good to know where students stand.
"They should all walk out of school with the same basic inventory of knowledge," said Phillips.
"It's good to measure what they're teaching," added Taylor. "However I don't think it has any applications in the real world."
That brings us back to the basic question -- Is the PSSA the most adequate measuring stick?
"It should not be - here's one test to take in two days, and that's going to decide your fate," said Mathias. "But I think we need a high and consistent standard, either state-wide or nationwide."
That's why the PA Board of Education established the Graduation Competency Assessment. Beginning in 2014-2015, students will have to demonstrate proficiency in math, science, English, and social studies. Students will then have four ways to prove proficiency in order to graduate - by passing the new GCA, the already-existing PSSA, Advanced Placement (AP) exams, or their school district's local assessments.
Despite all this, administrators hope the next step is a national curriculum and graduation exam.
"Standardizing something like a national exam would certainly have measurable results that are comparable," added Tkatch.
For more information, please paste the following links into your browser:
Penn State Study - http://www. pdenewsroom. state. pa. us/newsroom/cwp/view. asp?a=3&q=148536
PSSA - http://www. pde. state. pa. us/a_and_t/site/default. asp
GCA - http://www. pdenewsroom. state. pa. us/newsroom/cwp/view. asp?a=3&q=138281
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