Joanne Yurchak reports that a bill has been introduced in the Pennsylvania Senate that would remove the Keystone Exams as a graduation requirement and allow school districts to determine for themselves how their results may be used.
The bill, SB 1450, was introduced Wednesday, June 25 by Mike Folmer (R-48). It has eight co-sponsors including Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-9) and Ted Erickson (R-26).
Thank these men.
The Keystone Exams have been made part of Pa Core Standards, which is the window dressing for the implementation in the Commonwealth of the Common Core educational standard being pushed by the plutocrats.
Actual answers to a Common Core test
Keystone Exam Change Would Empower Districts
If we had school choice we wouldn’t have to put up with all this garbage. Let’s do something right and issue school vouchers.
I don’t think this is true. ALL public schools, and many Catholic schools throughout the Commonwealth are implementing Common Core. I doubt that having school choice would help “get rid of this garbage,” and garbage it is! We HAVE to GET RID OF COMMON CORE totally in PA.
I think it should be up to the parents to decidewhere they send their kids and what they want them to study. Vouchers would allow them to do this
I agree with Carl.. Get Government Out of our children’s education. America used to be first
, now we cannot compete with Finland.
I don’t think that either of you understand what’s happening in the schools today. I agree totally that the government, particularly the Feds, should not be involved in our schools. My point is that even if you let parents choose where to send their kids, unless they are going to an expensive private school that doesn’t have Common Core, you will have a choice of schools, each of which is using Common Core. What good is that? You HAVE to get rid of Common Core.. PERIOD! ALL public schools and many, many Catholic schools are teaching in accordance with Common Core. In addition to that, the SAT’s are going to be aligned to the Common Core which means that expensive private schools who opt not to teach to the Common Core might be “encouraged” to do so in order for their students to succeed in the SAT’s. They’ve got us over a barrel here gentlemen. I urge you to educate yourselves re: this insidious initiative and fight Common Core, and THEN fight for vouchers, because vouchers won’t help unless Common Core is eliminated, in my opinion anyway.
Well said!
Okay, let’s get rid of common core and let the parents choose their child’s curriculum.
Good thinking Charlie. Let’s let the people decide.
Yes. I was very surprised to see St. Isadore’s Catholic School in Quakertown has listed ‘curriculum follows common core standards’ right in their brochure. Alot of home school programs are sneaking it in too.
I think both sides are right. Joanne is right that many schools (probably most) ARE using the CCSS, but not ALL. And if there were real choice for the parents, then new schools that make it a point NOT to do Common Core would pop up very quickly. When other schools would see the popularity of those schools who refuse the CC, then the competition would cause other schools to drop it, but that would take a long time. We must fight and end CC for all children’s sake. But we should not give up pushing for school choice either.
Very good point, Marilyn.
Although in fairness to Joanne, I think she is prioritizing and appropriately so.
Let’s give each parent an allotment for each school-aged child and change the way we finance our schools.
I agree Frank and while we’re at it let’s go for term limits too.