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HARRISBURG (Sept. 24, 2018) – Dolores McCracken, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, commented today on the state House Education Committee’s vote to advance Senate Bill 1095, legislation introduced by state Sen. Tom McGarrigle (R-26) aimed at providing all students with additional options to fulfill high school graduation requirements.
“No single standardized test should overshadow a student’s academic record of accomplishments. That’s why Sen. McGarrigle introduced this legislation and why it has received unanimous support in the Senate and now in the House Education Committee.
“This bill recognizes that standardized tests aren’t the only way to measure what Pennsylvania’s students know and are able to do. This legislation offers students who do not score ‘proficient’ on Keystone Exams other pathways to demonstrate their readiness to graduate from high school.
“Sen. McGarrigle has been a leader on this issue, recognizing that all students deserve alternatives to standardized tests as a means of demonstrating their academic achievement. We commend him for his leadership and urge the House of Representatives to approve his bill.”
McCracken is a paraprofessional in the Council Rock School District. An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents approximately 181,000 future, active, and retired teachers and school employees, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.
