Changes Made to Charter Schools Testing Requirements

Does the Corbett administration favor charter schools over public? 

Changes to testing requirements for charter schools imply just that.

Pennsylvania Education Secretary Ron Tomalis has simplified the testing process for charter schools, enabling them to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) more easily than state public schools. While public schools are evaluated by whether they meet certain test score targets in each grade tested, charter schools will now only have to meet those goals in one of three groupings of grades: 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Under these changes, only one grouping of grades must perform well to meet AYP.

According to City Paper, Governor Tom Corbett gave charter schools a similar edge last month with a new law which require that test scores be included in only public school teacher evaluations, not charter.

These laws may inflate charter schools’ progress, as an Allentown Morning Call revealed.