Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 14, 1992 TAG: 9203140326
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HARRISBURG, PA. LENGTH: Medium
State education officials said the plan adopted Thursday by the Pennsylvania Board of Education is the first in the nation tying students' graduation to their achievements.
"Pennsylvania may go down in history as the state that really launched the new revolution in American schools," said William Spady, head of the High Success Network on Outcome Based Education. The Colorado-based group advises states considering "outcome-based" learning.
Spady worked with the Pennsylvania board on its reforms.
An "outcome" is a goal that students must master before graduating. Standards for success will be devised by individual school districts. The state will use standardized tests to measure how districts are doing.
Other states are considering similar reforms. Kentucky voted in 1990 to phase in an outcome-based plan over five years. School districts there can have their state funding cut if they don't meet the standards, but the goals won't be tied to whether individual students graduate.
"Because of the size and diversity of Pennsylvania, this will give some impetus to other states considering the reforms," said Joseph Bard, the state school board's commissioner for elementary and secondary education.
The plan also includes new tests to replace old, standardized tests, an increase in vocational training and a greater emphasis on foreign language.
It gives districts autonomy and allows parents and the community to help shape curricula. Districts will be required to report their programs to the state every three years.
Students would be required to meet roughly 60 goals, from courses such as math, science and English, and "wellness and fitness," "personal, family and community living" and "citizenship."
Standardized tests often are criticized for being unfair to minority members, but officials said the new tests would take the diverse backgrounds of students into account. The tests are already administered voluntarily in 166 Pennsylvania districts.
"We try to make them as culturally neutral as we can, in terms of what we ask in the test and how they would impact on kids of different backgrounds," Bard said.
Schools will begin devising their strategies for adopting the plan in September, but Bard said full implementation would take years. The state board will vote on the wording and exact content of the outcomes in September.
by CNB