A not-dead horse

You might think that I'm beating a dead horse with yet another posting on the governor's proposed Graduation Competency Assessments. 

The problem is that the horse still isn't dead – in fact, he never stopped running. In spite of severe rebuffs from both houses of the Pennsylvania legislature (22-1 in the House Education committee, 48-2 in the full Senate) and in spite of the language of Act 61 "expressly prohibiting the state Board from further promulgating regulations on the GCA proposal" - as well as a rejection by the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission - Education Secretary Gerry Zahorchak immediately issued a letter to school districts declaring that the department would not abandon the GCA plan, and would continue to move forward.

Their stated intention is to begin implementation of the GCAs in the 2009-2010 academic year.

I bring this up in light of two recent news items.

You may have read that a commission of some of the country's most influential college admissions officials is recommending a move away from standardized tests (such as SATs) as the best way to determine a student's ability to succeed in college. Instead, there is a growing emphasis in college admissions on assessments that are more closely tied to high school curriculum and content.

Meanwhile, our next-door neighbor, New Jersey, has joined the list of states to embrace the "21st Century Skills" model for its educational system. New Jersey has become ” acutely aware that the skills needed in the context of the global economy include critical thinking, problem solving, effective communication and proficiency in both core subjects and 21st century skills.”

It seems to me that the horse is running in the wrong direction.