On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Board of Education voted to advance the Keystone Exams (formerly Graduation Competency Assessments) with a vote of 14-2 with one abstention. If approved by the Independent Regulatory Review Committee (IRRC), these exams would count as at least one-third of a high school student's final grade, and would be phased in for full implementation in 2015.

The state House of Representatives may advance S.B. 281 to prevent this regulation from being finalized. This bill would also place the ability to enact such an exam solely within the PA General Assembly.

While members of the PA Chamber do not have an official position on the Keystone Exams, they are concerned over the cost of implementing a new test to replace the PSSA; Pennsylvania's poor return on investment for its current levels of education spending; and the decision to sign a $201 million contract for these exams despite a spending moratorium; as well as the other concerns that exist within the education community itself.