Keystone Exams

   
• Friday, Oct. 23
  IRRC approves Keystone Exams regulation
       
• Friday, Oct. 2
  PSBA's position paper on House Resolution 456, which urges the Governor to cease funding the implementation of the high school graduation requirements.
     
• Wednesday, Sept. 30
  IRRC responds to PSBA's letter regarding Keystone Exam proposal: On Sept. 30, PSBA received a response from the Independent Regulatory Review Commission denying the association’s request to have consideration of the final form Keystone Exam regulations postponed using a process called “tolling the time for review.”
      
• Tuesday, Sept. 22
  On Sept. 21, 2009, the final form Keystone Exams regulations were formally submitted to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) and the House and Senate Education Committees. The text of the regulations is posted on IRRC's Web site, along with the required Regulatory Analysis documents, at this link: http://www.irrc.state.pa.us/Regulations/RegInfo.cfm?IRRCNo=2696. IRRC will consider the regulations at its Oct. 22 meeting in Harrisburg. The House and Senate Education Committees have until 24 hours before the IRRC meeting to take action the regulations. On Sept. 22, PSBA submitted its comments on the final form regulations.
     
• Tuesday, Sept. 15
  

  On September 14, House Resolution 456, a concurrent resolution to halt the implementation of the Keystone Exams was introduced. HR 456 was introduced by Rep. Paul Clymer (R-Bucks), Republican chairman of the House Education Committee, and Rep. Rosita Youngblood (D-Philadelphia), member of the House Education Committee.  The resolution, which has large bipartisan support, calls on Gov. Ed Rendell and IRRC to cease any further implementation and funding of the Keystone Exams. The legislation would need to pass both the House and Senate with a majority vote before it would be sent to the governor.

• Friday, Sept. 11
  Status of the regulations: The final-form regulations for the Keystone Exams proposal are currently in the Governor's Offices of Policy, Budget and General Council and have not yet been submitted to the House and Senate Education Committees and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission.
     
• Tuesday, Aug. 25
  • Research questions and answers PSBA posed to a national legislative association group on graduation and end-of-course testing issues in other states.
  • Responses from State Board of Education to questions from PSBA Board of Directors
• Tuesday, Aug. 18
  Now that the State Board has approved the Keystone Exam proposal, thus making the regulations “final form,” the question has become “What happens now?” followed by “What more can be done?”
     
• Wednesday, Aug. 5
  House Ed Committee gives SB 281 unanimous 'negative recommendation'
  
  
• Friday, July 24
  This is the Senate Resolution 156, in support of the Keystones Exams proposal.  It will be considered by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, July 28.  If approved, it will move to the Senate floor for a vote.
      
• Keystone Exams Update (Friday, July 24)
  These are the final-form regulations that were submitted to the House and Senate Education Committees.  Included here are the draft regulations, a summary of the proposal, and the letter from State Board of Education Chairman Joseph Torsella to the Education Committee chairmen.  This proposal will be voted on by the full State Board of Education at the next meeting on Aug. 12-13.
      

• PSBA Board of Directors approves resolution, June 12
  Yesterday, the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association unanimously adopted a resolution calling for further work on the revised Keystone Exams proposal released on July 9, 2009 and urging greater collaboration among all education stakeholders in seeking a final resolution of the high school graduation issue.  

• PSBA's summary of the Keystone Exams proposal
  The latest proposal was announced on July 9 by State Board of Education Chairman Joseph Torsella.
     
• Keystone Exam FAQs
• How the Keystone Exam Proposal aligns with the PSBA Platform
• PSBA announces new approach to graduation requirements (News Release)
• A joint statement by Gerald Zahorchak, Sec. of Education; Joseph Torsella, Chairman, State Board of Education; and Thomas Gentzel, PSBA Executive Director
• Chart: Key Differences Between GCA Proposal and Keystone Exam Proposal
  Prepared by PSBA, March 2009
• Text of pertinent provisions of the new regulations