Dolores McCracken, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, last week praised members of the state Senate Education Committee for their unanimous vote advancing legislation introduced by state Sen. Thomas J. McGarrigle (R-26), which will provide all students with additional options to fulfill high school graduation requirements.

“Sen. McGarrigle’s bill recognizes that standardized tests aren’t the only way to measure students’ abilities and provides options to measure students’ readiness for post-secondary education,” McCracken said. “This legislation would offer students who do not score proficient on Keystone Exams alternative 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.

“This is a good bill, and PSEA’s members urge approval by the full Senate.”

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.

Bethlehem Area School District Board President Mike Faccinnetto said he agrees with McCracken.

“This is an important step in providing a pathway to graduation for students who do not score proficient on a Keystone exam. Yes, full elimination [of the Keystones] would be ideal, but with the legislature you have to work in steps. By taking some of the teeth out of the test it makes full repeal easier.

“If we can demonstrate viable ways to show a student is worthy of a diploma, then we can lessen the need for standardized tests. The time a student would spend retaking and preparing for the redo of the Keystone is time wasted that could be spent at a vo-tech or career institute learning a valuable post-graduation skill.”