Jul 8, 2008 7:52 am US/Eastern
Pa. Lawmakers Face Opposition To Testing Proposal
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) ―
Strong opposition has stalled a proposed mandate
that Pennsylvania
high school students pass a battery of tests before they can graduate.
Instead, Gov. Ed Rendell's administration and
state lawmakers have agreed to make the tests optional for now.
The State Board of Education's effort to create
new rules establishing subject-specific final exams for graduating students would
be halted for the 2008-09 school year by a public school code bill. The
Legislature passed the bill last week along with the state budget.
Education Department spokeswoman Sheila Ballen
says the budget includes money for the state to develop tests for school
districts to use voluntarily, starting in the 2009-10 school year.
Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi says
lawmakers have heard overwhelming opposition to a testing mandate from their constituents.
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