SB 1216 - Standardized Testing Relief

State representatives voted overwhelmingly to ease standardized testing requirements because of the COVID-19 pandemic, taking the lead on this issue after U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos refused to act. This is just one of the policy issues PSEA has been working to resolve as we start the 2020-21 school year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill will allow parents to opt their children out of state assessments this year, postpone the implementation of Keystone Exam graduation requirements, and require Pennsylvania to seek federal waivers to annual standardized testing. Now it goes to the state Senate for a final vote.

Contact your state senator TODAY and encourage him or her to support SB 1216.

Here’s what you need to know

PSEA members have many pressing needs right now, and we are working with state lawmakers to address them. Easing standardized testing requirements is one of them. SB 1216 will:

  • Allow parents or guardians to opt their children out of state assessments for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years.
  • Require that Keystone Exams can only be a state or local graduation requirement beginning in 2022-23.
  • Extend the timeline for implementation of Act 158 (bipartisan graduation pathways) by one year – to 2022-23.  
  • Provide PDE with the authority to waive the NOCTI/NIMS, if appropriate on a schoolwide or program basis, for the 2020-21 school year.  
  • Require PDE to waive the student performance components of the educator evaluation system for the 2020-21 school year.
  • Require PDE to apply to the federal government for a waiver from annual testing requirements should a waiver opportunity be made available.
  • Ensure that Keystone Exam testing is not required for students who took associated content in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. Students would be deemed proficient based on course grades.
  • Provide temporary authority for PDE to waive the basic skills exam for future educators so they can enter their teacher preparation programs without delay.
  • Allow PDE to waive requirements for certain assessments related to certification that may not have been available due to the shutdown of testing centers during the COVID-19 emergency.
  • Extend the deadline for paraprofessionals to satisfy staff development requirements.

This is the right thing to do

We need to focus on meeting our students’ needs during this unprecedented time and adjust to new ways of teaching and learning. We don’t need to fuel unnecessary anxiety for students, parents, and educators with standardized tests.

Contact your state senator today and urge him or her to support this plan.

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