Changes in Graduation requirements leave thousands of students worried, what students need to know
Pennsylvania_Pathways_to_Graduation.pdfAre you on track to graduate? Because the requirements have changed, without people’s knowledge. The state of Pennsylvania has reworked its graduation requirements, leaving many still worried about graduation in their senior year. But it's not as bad as it may seem, let's explore this topic.
This past year, the state of Pennsylvania decided to put in place Act 158. Act 158 in the least words possible is an Act that now requires students to complete 1 of the 5 pathways for graduation.
Each pathway has different methods of completion and is used to ensure that anyone no matter what circumstance can graduate, especially when the correct effort is put forth. The first and second pathways are based on Keystone scores, the same as before. The 3rd and fourth use other standardized tests and criteria to assess eligibility. The fifth and final pathway is a score of 630 or higher on the SAT or other similar tests, as well as a senior project and Recommendations from an employer or internship.
Despite popular belief, Act 158 isn't as straightforward as it is portrayed. In just a year, different opinions have been made regarding content, timing, and overall goal. When speaking to the lead of the math department teacher Ms. Hogan it was found that there have been several complications regarding covid and the 2023 graduation class.
During the past 3 years, students have been affected by covid. Online schools posed many threats to students when it came to their learning. Many couldn’t focus on work properly and wouldn’t perform well in classes and especially on standardized tests. Many failed certain classes, not being eligible for the auto-proficient keystone scores. Keystones were the most important tests to graduate, and when they weren’t passed many students would not have the opportunity to graduate.
These complications bring forth questions such as, “Why now and not in 4 years so that it won't hurt any covid affected high school students?” Of course, the answer isn't common knowledge and will never be (typical for such topics). But the most likely reason is not surprising… politics. It isn't too much of a stretch to say that the administration wants to enact this new act before the new election with a possible change in officials. These changes in requirements feel so abrupt, but they have been in the works for over 10 years which explains the importance of such an Act for the administration.
The problem with that is that due to covid complications, there are many who aren't on track to graduate. And they won't be told this until less than a year before they need to graduate. For some that are less fortunate, it might be mere months to weeks before they will have to prove their eligibility. The reason could even be that they didn't try on certain “Practice Tests” and they ended up losing eligibility due to that. The sad predicament is that the class of 2023 must deal with it and that even though they had it rough with the covid year and a half, they must overcome those boundaries, even if they are weighted against them. Hopefully, in the future, the administration will put more care into the timing as many have addressed.
What's most important for students in their first couple years of high school is that standardized tests, no matter how boring and gruesome they can be, can open doors academically when correct preparation and effort are put in. If students continue to not care about standardized tests, they will be required to do 100 times the work for the same result. Hopefully from now on this will be told to everyone, and allow students to truly be the best they can be.