Imagine Pennsylvania: Rubbing the Wrong Way

Though districts and schools have received PSSA results, the results have not been released to the general public.? Within the next few weeks, the state will post these results.? Along with discussion of schools that achieved and schools that have failed, there will also be discussions about answer excessive erasures on bubble sheets.

To understand possible reasons for excessive erasures, which are a possible result of test tampering, the impact of the PSSA needs to be addressed. ?The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is ?a standards-based, criterion-referenced assessment used to measure a student?s attainment of the academic standards while also determining the degree to which school programs enable students to attain proficiency of the standards? (PDE, 2012).

The PSSA emerged as a tool to measure adequate yearly progress as mandated by No Child Left Behind.? In addition to measuring student, school, and district achievement, the PSSA has an impact on funding.?? ?Compliance determines the amount of state and federal funding the district will receive? (Brandolph, 2012, p.1).

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a revision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.? The goal of NCLB was to ensure that all students, regardless of race, gender, socio-economic status, native-language or ability, would receive a high quality education.?? To support this goal NCLB provided Title I funding, ?the flagship teaching and learning program that reaches 12.5 million students in high-poverty schools? (NEA, 2012).? One the most controversial components of the law were the tying of funds to student achievement.

Though the goal of NCLB was to tie funding to learning to ensure student achievement, some concerns have emerged due to this act.? Under the pressure of meeting AYP, some schools have resorted to focusing instruction on PSSA.? In some extreme cases, schools have possibly tampered with tests to meet AYP.? Unfortunately, tying funding to testing has led to teaching to the test and cheating in certain situations.

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References
Brandolph, A. (2012, March 1).? The PSSA, a standardized test with a big impact.? Pittsburgh Tribune Review.? Retrieved from

http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_784160.html?printerfriendly=true#axzz26e59bMMi

Chute, E. & Niederberger, M. (2012, September, 9).? ?Inquiry continues into cheating on PSSA tests.? Pittsburgh Post Gazette.? Retrieved from http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/education/inquiry-continues-into-cheating-on-pssa-tests-652513/

NEA (2012).? No Child Left Behind Act.? Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/NoChildLeftBehindAct.html

PDE (2012). Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.? Retrieved from http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania_system_of_school_assessment_(pssa)/8757

Source: http://imaginepennsylvania.com/2012/09/rubbing-the-wrong-way/

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