PA school districts ponder bucking graduation exams
By: Bill Hangley
The Rendell Administration’s latest plan for mandatory high school graduation exams could mean new costs for the region’s school districts say. Local school officials are just beginning to assess a proposal released last week.
By: Bill Hangley
bhangley@whyy.org
The Rendell Administration’s latest plan for mandatory high school graduation exams could mean new costs for the region’s school districts say. Local school officials are just beginning to assess a proposal released last week.
Transcript:
Under the state’s latest plan, no one will be able to graduate a Pennsylvania high school without passing a series of exams in reading, math and other core subjects. Local school districts that chose not to use exams provided by the state would have to pay to develop and certify their own tests. Lou Meunker is the superintendant of Bucks County’s Neshaminy District. He says budget considerations could make that an easy choice, even for districts that would rather not use a state test.
Meunker: “The costs associated with any of this can certainly be huge. And it could be that a district may opt to use the state assessment, because in the end it may be more prudent for them financially.”
Meunker says his district has just begun to examine the state’s latest plan and assess the cost of developing graduation tests. One possibility is for his district to team up with others and create tests for all of Bucks County. State legislators are expected to vote on the graduation exam plan this summer.
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