Graduation Competency Assessments
Graduation Competency Assessments (GCAs) represent proposed revisions to current State of Pennsylvania graduation requirements. In effect, additional testing for a variety of subjects would become necessary in order for a student to receive a diploma at a public school in Pennsylvania. Issues regarding additional testing and financial expense that might influence your decision to support or oppose these measures are complicated and certainly not clear-cut.
The first graduating class affected will be the class of 2014, however, students will likely begin to experience changes in curriculum focus well before that date as school districts charge to meet the imposed, homogeneous target.
The elected members of the West Chester Area School District Board of Directors, on February 25th, 2008, voted 8 to 1 to submit a resolution to the State Board of Education to register opposition to the GCA amendment to Chapter 4. Most other school boards in Southeastern Pennsylvania have also voiced their opposition to the proposed graduation requirements.
On Saturday, May 17, 2008, the State Board of Education published proposed revisions to its Chapter 4 regulations that revise state high school graduation requirements. The official 30-day public comment period will run through June 16, 2008.
To learn more about the testing and financial requirements being proposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, visit the websites that exist to inform the public on both sides of the issue. You are then encouraged to express your own opinion during the critical public comment period, which will end on June 16, 2008. Please note that copies of all comments received by the State Board, as required by the Regulatory Review Act, are shared with the leadership of the House and Senate Education Committees and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC). Each member of the State Board of Education also receives a copy. Public comments submitted to the Board are matters of public record. IRRC posts copies of all public comments on its public web site www.irrc.state.pa.us.
Submit opinions and comments to Jim Buckheit, Executive Director of the State Board of Education.
Jim Buckheit
Pennsylvania State Board of Education
333 Market Street, 1st Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126
E-mail: jbuckheit@state.pa.us
Fax (717) 787-7306
You are also encouraged to copy your comments to your State Senator and State House Representative:
Use the public comment period, ending on June 15, 2008, to mail or e-mail your opinion on changing Pennsylvania’s high school graduation requirements!
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