NAACP opposes graduation exams

Lalita Coleman , "NAACP opposes graduation exams". Wednesday, September 23, 2009, web  October 10, 2010
http://www.keystoneonline.com/2009/09/23/naacp-opposes-graduation-exams/

In order to measure course competency among PA high school seniors, the board believes that implementing a series of tests prior to graduation is key. The Keystone exams, as the tests would be called, are a series of 10 tests in math, history, English/literature, and the sciences.According to the House Resolution No. 456, passed Aug. 7, the Pennsylvania State Conference of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) opposed the draft final-form regulation submitted by the State Board as a civil rights issue, basing their argument on a state study at the 2008 Pew Center. That study indicated “use of exit exam scores to withhold a high school diploma leads to increased dropout rates and an increase in the prison population.A 2007 report by the Center for Labor Market Studies estimated that over 200,000 drop-outs nationwide from ages 16-24 ended up imprisoned that year.