Op/Ed: Does high-stakes testing improve education?

By Michael T. Rock, Director, Unionville-Chadds Ford Board of Education Michael T. Rock As the debate on No Child Left Behind and the Common Core heat up and as Pennsylvania’s school districts gear up for implementation of the Keystone exit exams it is time to take stock of what we know about the impact of high stakes testing. Supporters see tests as a way to close the gap in performance between...

Op/Ed: Keep calm and carry on with standardized tests

By Jeff Hellrung, Director, Unionville-Chadds Ford Board of Education Jeff Hellrung When you send your children to school, don’t you want to know that they can perform to clear and reasonable standards that will give them foundational skills for eventual readiness for college or careers? We have those standards in our public schools. They are the PA Academic Standards. We also have valid and reliable...