PSSA's & Standards - SocialSlacker

I attend school in Pennsylvania. In 8th and 11th grade we are required to take the PSSA exams. We have always been told that if we passed them in 8th grade or had "p" on our report card we had that requirement to graduate.

Well last year I was in 11th grade and the exam came around. Someone asked them if we needed them to graduate and the people who gave this exam told us No. So of course if you tell us that we don't need them to graduate, do you think we are going to do our best?! But who cared! We didn't them to graduate.

About 2 months we got our results back. 60 out 135 kids had failed the exam. We were like "So what? We don't need them." Well, little did we know, the state over the SUMMER (this is AFTER we took the exam)had changed the requirements. You need to pass this exam to graduate.

This isnt fair to us now seniors!! I passed mine, BUT! Its just the thought. Now, we have 60 students who don't know if they can graduate. They need to do 20 hours for every exam they failed (max 60 hours tutoring on your own time) and take a retest. Which results won't be in until April. When we graduate June 6th.

Now get this. The state came in and told us that not everyone is expected to pass this test. WHAT?!??!?!? We NEED them to graduate BUT not everyone is expected to pass them? This just doesn't make sense.

Now we have all these standards that are over ruling our classes.. I'm taking Multiculturalism and we arent learning anything about other cultures..STANDARDS!!

Personally, I hate the standards and I am glad this is my last year. If I had to go back to 7th grade and deal with them..I'd most likely not make it through high school.

Do any of you have to take these PSSA tests? Or have these "Standards" at your school? What do you think of them?

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