Like any other sphere, the realm of education is supposed to undergo certain changes in the course of its development. In Pennsylvania, the USA, the issue of adapting to the new system of testing has become, however, one of the major issues which demand urgent solutions, for the new system of testing causes the most deplorable test results in Pennsylvania schools. With the help of the Family Consumer Science discipline and its introduction in modern Pennsylvania schools, more efficiency in the PSSA test results can be expected.
According to what the statistical data and the results of the opinion poll held among the Pennsylvania students say, one of the most complicated issues concerning the PSSA testing is the time-lapse in which the students are to provide the answers to the tests: “Timing seems to be the biggest problem” (McCaffey and Hamilton, 50). Therefore, it is obvious that the focus of the elective classes must be improving the students’ ability to solve the tests in the required amount of time, thus, making them more adjusted to the new assessment system and helping them pass the tests with acceptable scores. However, one must give credit to the PSSA ideas and the premises on which it is based. According to McCaffey and Hamilton (2007) say, “the reliability of the individual student scores is very high, ranging from.91 to.94 across years, grade levels, and subjects” (p. 25).
Taking into account the fact that most Pennsylvania students fail to complete the test at the same time as an average student in the rest of the states, one must reconsider the peculiarities of the recently accepted educational system in the state. Since the modern Pennsylvanian system of teaching lays strong emphasis on the economical and financial issues, disregarding the issues and skills concerning family life, it is clear that most students fail at doing anything home-related, even such simple activity as cooking. Thus, health issues arise, preventing students from succeeding in their PSSA tests. As Ridley explains,
Home ec and FCS classes can change this. So many kids go off to college these days without any idea of how to take care of themselves. Their parents never taught them how to cook, clean, or manage money responsibly, and these essential things are not usually part of the school curriculum. This is where home ec steps in. It gets a bad rap because it has traditionally taught girls how to do “women’s work,” but the truth is that these are skills that people of any gender need to have. (para.4)
Therefore, it is obvious that Pennsylvanian students need FCS classes. Among all the possible solutions for the issue of the PSSA tests, the idea that the FCS classes can help improve the students’ scores is the most adequate one.
Thus, it is obvious that with the help of the FCS discipline, the scores of the students will be improved considerably and better test performances can be expected. Hence, it is essential that the FCS disciplines should be provided in Pennsylvania schools as soon as possible. However, the issues mentioned above should be kept in mind in the course of the new discipline establishment. Once addressing the problem in a proper way, the citizens of Pennsylvania will be able to avoid such educational issues in the future.
Works Cited
McCaffey, Daniel F., and L. S. Hamilton. Value-Added Assessment in Practice: Lessons from the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System Pilot Project, Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2007. Print.
Ridley, Kristen. “Why Home Economics Classes Should Be Mandatory.” Change.org. 2012. Web.