Local Educators Applaud State’s Efforts To Shrink PSSA Tests

A change will reduce the amount of time students spend taking the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA).

At a Central Pennsylvania school Monday morning, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera and educators announced the standards-based PSSA assessment for grades three through eight will be reduced by 20 percent.

Rivera and state Department of Education officials explained that the math assessment will be shortened by 48 minutes by removing a section of multiple choice questions, the English language arts assessment will be shortened by 45 minutes and the science assessment will be shortened by 22 minutes. The change will go into effect when the PSSA is taken by students this spring.

The reduction in testing time boils down to cutting the number of questions on the PSSA.

Rivera said reducing the length of the assessment that will improve quality of life for students and allow teachers to focus more of general education.

“This reduction will ease the stress placed on our kids and will allow students and teachers to focus more on learning than on testing. This change should also reassure parents that we’ve listened to their concerns about over-testing,” Wolf said.

Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators Executive Director Mark DiRocco said many educators top priority was to reduce the amount of time preparing for the PSSA which takes away from classroom learning.

The PSSA and similar standardized assessments are mandated by federal law and provide valuable insight for schools to track their progress. However, they can be disruptive for students and impact students who do not test well, state officials said.

PSSA testing can be stressful and leads to long days for students. Wolf and Rivera said they heard complaints from parents, students and educators.

“We applaud his decision. Anytime we can gain back valuable instruction time and reduce the number of test administration support good teaching and learning,” said Dr. Gloria Hancock, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment for the Neshaminy School District.

Bristol Township School District Superintendent Dr. Melanie Gehrens said the decision is a “step in the right direction.

“While district staff works diligently to ensure that students remain motivated and interested during the testing process and administrators visit classrooms to show support and encouragement, reducing the time students spend taking tests will definitely help students stay focused and motivated during testing,” she added.

Although the state regulations allow school districts to have the “freedom to design curriculum and instruction to ensure that students meet or exceed the standards’ expectations,” so much preparation work for the PSSA can take away from educating the “whole child,” state officials said.

Dr. Tamara Willis, superintendent of the Susquehanna Township School District explained the intense focus of PSSA testing has “resulted in a  loss of creativity and innovation within our classrooms and growing pressure for teachers to ‘teach to the test.’”

“Standardized testing remains a part of the educational process, but it should not be the only measure of student achievement. Despite our efforts to promote a calm atmosphere during the testing process, many students suffer from stress and anxiety when taking these high stakes tests. Although these tests can assist us in monitoring progress, we need a more balanced approach to measuring student success,” Gehrens said.

It was not clear if the reduction in questions on the PSSA would result in a cost savings.

The state Department of Education will continue to identify ways to “further reduce those disruptions in coming years,” the governor’s office said in a statement.

Wolf said state legislators on both sides of the aisle have worked and will continue to “do right by parents and students.”