Associate Professor Discusses PSSA and Opt-Out
By: Laura Hartog
Updated: March 21, 2012
Timothy Slekar is the Head of the Division of Education, Human Development and Social Sciences at Penn State Altoona. Slekar is part of the Nationally United Opt Out movement, concerning the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. (PSSA) It encourages parents to opt-out of the state testing for students. The current academic standards for PSSA testing were adopted in 1999, and include: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening and for Mathematics.
The annual Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is a standards-based, criterion-referenced assessment used to measure a student's attainment of the academic standards while also determining the degree to which school programs enable students to attain proficiency of the standards. Every Pennsylvania student in grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 is assessed in reading and math. Every Pennsylvania student in grades 5, 8 and 11 is assessed in writing. Every Pennsylvania student in grades 4, 8 and 11 is assessed in science.
Next weekend is the United Opt Out's sponsored Occupy the Department of Education (DOE) event in Washington DC. It runs March 30 - April 2nd. There will be marches to the Capital and White House planned and a full agenda of teach-ins and guest speakers.
