The PSSAs fall on Take Your Child to Work Day this year, upsetting some parents
The annual Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, or PSSA, tests will be given statewide on the same day as Take Your Child to Work Day. And that is not going over well with some parents.
PSSAs are very important to school districts because they determine things like funding, school rankings and other things. But Take Your Child to Work Day is equally important to parents.
The PSSA, statewide testing days, which are mandatory for every Pennsylvania student, overlap with this year's Take Your Child to Work Day, which always falls on the fourth Thursday in April every year.
"Well, it's two separate days no matter how you look at it. If you're gonna Take Your Child to Work Day, that should be one day, and then testing is another day," said Terry Lippert, who has grandkids in the South Park School District.
The problem: neither wants to change their days. The state decides PSSA days. The districts have no say and must comply.
Take Your Child to Work Day is not only important to parents, but many companies go all out for that day with special programs for the kids. The organization that heads up the national day doesn't believe it should have to change its traditional day.
Some parents don't want to make that choice: work day or testing day. However, many parents don't realize their child can usually make up that testing day.
At South Park schools, for example, the parent just fills out a permission form found on their website. The district will then retest the students on different days.
The superintendent of South Park Schools told KDKA-TV: "Take Your Child to Work Day offers students a unique opportunity to gain real-world experience, but its annual scheduling within the testing window can create challenges for both students and educators. While make-up opportunities are available, students perform best when testing in their originally scheduled environment."
