Maryland considering two-tier diplomas thanks to low PARCC scores

If you’re concerned about an excessive focus on testing in schools, get ready for your head to explode. Liz Bowie has a great story in The Baltimore Sun today about the state school board’s reaction to low test scores.

She reports: Board member Chester Finn “suggested the board consider adopting a two-diploma system, one for students who passed PARCC and are considered ready for college and a second diploma, equivalent to what is given today, for students who have fulfilled the course requirements and achieve minimum passing grades on state tests.

But school board member James H. DeGraffenreidt said he is opposed to such a dual diploma system because he believes it would institutionalize the achievement gap for groups of students with low pass rates, including low-income, minority and special education students.” Read the full story here.