Measuring Student Proficiency and Creating Capacity: The Move Toward End-of-Course Exams in Pennsylvania

Abstract

Introduction

The purpose of this article is to provide policymakers and practitioners with recommendations regarding how to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks associated with end-of-course exams. In particular, the paper provides educators in Pennsylvania with a description of the state’s new graduation policy and contextualizes the state’s move to end-of-course exams in the national context.

In January 2010, changes to Pennsylvania’s high school graduation requirements became official. When fully implemented, the new policy will require students to demonstrate proficiency in six academic content areas in order to receive a high school diploma. Students will be able to demonstrate competency on new state academic standards by passing either a set of end-of-course exams, called Keystone exams, or approved alternatives. Students in the graduating class of 2015 will be the first who must demonstrate proficiency as measured by Keystone exams or approved alternatives in Algebra 1, Literature, English Composition and Biology. The Keystone exams will be phased in over a period of several years. The timing of implementation has undergone modifications reflecting political, technical and financial considerations.

For the past decade, the state has used the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) to assess every Pennsylvania public school student in reading and math in grades 3–8 and grade 11. Additionally, students in 5th, 8th and 11th grades are assessed in writing, and students in 4th, 8th and 11th grades are assessed in science. According to the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), all students in a state must be 100 percent proficient in reading and math by 2014. NCLB requires states to determine annually whether schools and districts are making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) toward this goal in reading and math proficiency. Pennsylvania uses the PSSA assessment to determine whether districts are meeting AYP requirements. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) plans to have the Algebra 1 and Literature Keystone exams approved and used in place of the 11th-grade PSSA for federal AYP provisions during 2013–2014. The Keystone exam policy will not alter the state’s 4th- to 8th-grade PSSA program.