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Public education is always changing and keeping up with these changes is a challenge. PSBA helps keep our members informed and keeps you current with the issues facing public education.
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PSBA News
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School Finance: Answers to Questions You Didn't Know You Had:
School finances and budgeting probably are some of the most vexing and persistent topics before a school board. If you attended one of the New Board Orientation programs on school finances, you received a good foundation for understanding the complex issues.
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Districts Adopt Effective Governance Standards:
Thanks are extended to these districts statewide that adopted PSBA Standards for Effective School Governance
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PSBA Responds to PDE Memo on Validation of Local Assessments:
PDE's July 28 memo, "Establishing Validity of Local Assessments," has raised several questions for PSBA members. Read the memo from Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel sharing member concerns and offering suggestions to improve the process.
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Official notice: Proposed bylaws revisions:
In accordance with Article XII, Section 6 of the PSBA Bylaws, notice is hereby given that the following revisions* to the bylaws were properly submitted to and approved by the Bylaws Committee and subsequently recommended by the PSBA Board of Directors for consideration at the annual business meeting of the association on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center:
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Members Only Login and Your Member ID:
Your PSBA member ID belongs only to you! Please don't use someone else's ID to log in to Members' Only.
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How to Log In to the New Site:
Visitors to PSBA’s new Web site will notice an enhanced Members Only area which will allow more people to participate. Logging in is easy!
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Education News
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U.S. SAT scores hold steady; slight increase in Pa.:
Average scores on all three sections of the SAT remained stable for the high school Class of 2008 while the number of total and minority test takers increased.
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New report says finishing high school is key to reducing violent crime in Pa.:
A 10 percent boost in graduation rates at Pennsylvania high schools could lead to the prevention of as many as 150 murders in the state every year, claims a report released yesterday.
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More and more school districts are establishing programs to help young students deal with emotional :
A growing number of school districts are creating teams for elementary students to be referred to if they have personal problems that are creating trouble for them academically.
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Test score melt down in high school:
Between the last year of middle school and the junior year in high school, something happens to Pennsylvania students -- and it's not just puberty. After years of building on math and reading skills and showing consistent gains on state tests, those improvements come to a screeching halt in high school. Not only do students stop improving in reading, they actually seem to lose math skills.
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Law lets twins stay together in school:
Starting this fall in Pennsylvania, parents of multibirths can choose to place their children in the same classrooms if they are in the same grade level and school. The measure, dubbed the "twins law," was slipped into the education section of the state budget, which passed July 4.
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Back to school: Shaky economy hits kids:
Hard times and higher fuel prices will follow kids back to school this fall. Children will walk farther to the bus stop, pay more for lunch, study from old textbooks and wear last year's clothes. Field trips? Forget about it.
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Switch to 4-day week a local call:
Few Pennsylvania school districts have inquired about switching to a four-day school week even though the concept would not lead to legislative hurdles at the state level, officials from two state education agencies said Wednesday.
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Most Pa. schools meet state guidelines:
Most school districts are meeting the state's academic benchmarks, and more students are performing at grade level than in past years on the state assessment tests, the state Pennsylvania Department of Education said today.
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Group faults school districts for too-strict enrollment rules:
A nonprofit advocacy group says that students are being turned away from public schools in Pennsylvania because school districts aren't adhering to state laws regarding enrollment.
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ACT scores down, but more students college-ready:
Average scores on the ACT college entrance exam dipped slightly for the high school class of 2008 as the number of students taking the exam jumped by 9 percent compared to last year.
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Rendell names new chairman of education board:
The chief executive officer of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will lead Pennsylvania's State Board of Education. Gov. Ed Rendell announced the appointment of Joseph Torsella as board chairman today.
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Exit Scramble:
A decade-long push by states to make high school students pass an exit exam before getting their diplomas has stalled as politically sensitive student-failure rates contribute to a growing public backlash against high-stakes testing.
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With exit tests dead, state turns to Plan B:
The proposal to mandate high school exit exams fizzled, but the state Department of Education is moving to Plan B to ensure a high school diploma has value.
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Lack of agreement hindering property tax reform:
When it comes to property tax reform, most would agree it needs to be done. The rub comes when you ask people how.
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Study questions grading system:
Without hacking into a computer or handing in extra-credit work, failing grades could be turned into passing grades — just by using a different grading system.
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Special education needs soar:
Pennsylvania expects children with special needs to be taught in the same classrooms as their peers whenever possible — not segregated in special rooms for the entire school day.
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Growing hesitancy over a military test:
Every school year, at hundreds of high schools across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, students are asked - and sometimes required - to take a vocational aptitude test with a strange-sounding name - the ASVAB, which stands for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.
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Washington Supreme Court says privacy trumps identifying teacher in cases of unsubstantiated sexual :
The Washington State Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday that pitted the fear of stigmatizing an innocent teacher against the threat of allowing sexual predators in the schools to escape detection.
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