April 18, 2024 - Allegheny, PA
Governor Josh Shapiro joined Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin at Northgate School District in Allegheny County to announce changes to the state's system of school assessments that will reduce the amount of time students spend taking standardized tests, mitigate stress and anxiety around testing by adopting question types that match how students learn, help teachers spend more time teaching, and save the Commonwealth millions of dollars. Governor Shapiro has heard from Pennsylvania students, parents, and teachers about the burden standardized testing places on them - and he is following through on his promise to reduce our reliance on those tests and ensure students and teachers have the flexibility they need to be successful. The Shapiro Administration's three-part plan to update the state's standardized testing system includes implementing online testing over the next two years, adopting question types that allow students to use methods they are already familiar with - such as drag and drop, sorting and ranking, and graphic manipulation - and developing a free, optional benchmark assessment tool for schools to help educators better understand whether students are on track to succeed on end-of-year exams. "I've made it a point to listen to the voices of students, teachers, and parents in my Administration, and I've heard loud and clear how much of a burden standardized tests can be," said Governor Josh Shapiro. "The changes I'm announcing today will reduce that burden, shorten the amount of time students spend taking tests, and ensure schools get results faster so they can give students the support they need to succeed. Together, we can ensure that when our kids go to school they're doing less testing and more learning."Speakers ListDr. Caroline Johns, Superintendent for Northgate School DistrictGovernor Josh ShapiroState Representative Emily KinkeadState Senator Wayne FontanaDr. Chris Caton, Director of Curriculum for Northgate School DistrictCarrie Wynn, Student at Northgate High SchoolDr. Khalid Mumin, Secretary of PA Dept. of Education
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