Graduation Exams Get Mixed Grades in Other States

Pennsylvania’s proposed standardized tests, the Keystone Exams, have caused a stir in state government and the education community, but the issue is far from new. Maryland became one of the first states to approve graduation exams in 1993, and the debate was just as heated there and then. Maryland Department of Education spokesman Bill Reinhard says the situation in Pennsylvania looks familiar. “There was a lot of skepticism in the state. There were a lot of individuals who thought this wasn’t the right way to go. But in fact, we think they’ve proven quite effective,” says Reinhard. He says he doesn’t know of “any individual who loves tests,” but standardized assessments have raised the bar for Maryland’s urban districts.

However, there are some who’d debate that point. Massachusetts’ National Center for Fair and Open Testing, or FairTest, lobbied the Maryland Board of Education last October, pointing out studies that say graduation exams are misused and actually promote dropping out. FairTest Executive Director Monty Neill says thorough school inspections would better serve the state. “Then you can look at whether or not kids have factual knowledge, whether kids can apply knowledge, whether they can problem solve, whether they can analyze and synthesize, use high tech... All the different kinds of things you care about, you can find out, that you cannot find out about if you just administer one test that’s one or two hours long,” says Neill. He says standardized tests are a way for legislators to get out of dealing with problems in education. Pennsylvania lawmakers are expected to vote on the exams next month.