 Thank you everybody for being here it's what what a nice crowd this this is a great occasion and I'm proud to be here with Speaker Terzai and Mike I want to thank you for your leadership getting this bill across the finish line. House Bill 202 as you know makes it easier for our children to succeed in school and prepares them for a more successful and hopefully family sustaining career in the workforce by removing the Keystone examination graduation requirement for everybody in a career and technical education field. Pennsylvania's home as we all know to a diverse workforce that is second to none and that can compete anywhere whether they're working in the classroom in the lab in the shop in the field or the garage and what we're trying to do with this act is is make sure that that those citizens those students who are always striving and succeeding across a wide variety of fields have the ability to have that shown in their academic career while they're in primary and secondary school. With this bill Pennsylvania will recognize that diversity in a way that I don't think we we have before. We will no longer hold all of our students to the standard of a Keystone examination that too often does not reflect the reality of a large sector of our students educational experience. With the passage and signature of this bill our students in career and technical education will be able to use the skills they've learned in career and job readiness programs to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge rather than an exam that does not reflect the education they've received or the career they're going into because we all know that passing a high school exit exam is not the sole measure of proficiency especially when it comes to career readiness. Pennsylvania needs to enable our students to demonstrate their knowledge their skills they have learned through multiple measures that reflect the reality of the jobs they're going to go into the career they're going to go into. During my time as governor I've traveled to schools and career centers across the Commonwealth and I've seen firsthand the breadth the skills that our students are learning. I especially remember one one class where I saw somebody who had spent a number of years actually two years training and saw that what he could do with welding he could weld a seal that I I know would have taken me 10 years to learn I would never have been able to do as good a job as he did. We need to recognize that in our education system because our economy needs people with skills that are much broader than than the skills that I think the existing Keystone exam recognizes. There's no reason that the skills that this student has learned are any less valid or valuable than students who receive their education as I did holding in the classroom. We're a Commonwealth blessed with a wide variety of career opportunities and industries in our economy that our young people must enter if we want to stay competitive in a global economy. We need our citizens to be provided the necessary skills that employers need and to take the jobs and succeed helping our industries thrive and help our families to grow. The passage again of House Bill 202 these students will be measured on the merit of the skills they've earned rather than through a test that does not reflect their experience or their futures. I am proud to be here to sign House Bill 202 and I now want to introduce Speaker Mike Terzai to say a few words. Thank you. Thank you so much. Governor you are always so gracious and this was certainly a collaborative effort. We are so honored to be here with you today and my good friend Mike Tobash my co-sponsor on this legislation and and certainly want to thank our friends in the Senate and we had support on both sides of the aisle for what I think is is important legislation. Before I get any further though Kurt Kiefer is one of my very very good friends from back home and Kurt came to me to discuss this issue with fellow administrators in career tech schools across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Kurt can you just tell everybody your background real briefly and how long you've been in education and your experience and then we'll go from there. If anybody's interested I started out as a career center student I went on to work before I went to college worked my way through college became a heating and air conditioning teacher at a vocational school Pittsburgh public schools for 17 years went to University of Pittsburgh I got my director papers went to IUP for my director papers went to pit for my superintendent letter and about to take over a school was fortunate to be named director of Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center 10 years ago. I live in a Wexford area and one day Mike and I were working at actually at a men's shelter and with the Boy Scots when this idea first came up maybe six o'clock on a Saturday morning and we weren't allowed to do any of the work the Boy Scots had to so we got to shop talk and that's how this actually originated. Kurt I can't thank you enough for Brandon you brought a whole team with you. We did. And you have I know. Mr. Spiker from Butler he was with us at the original meeting and I'd like to thank Jackie Colin from PACTA and there's there's so many people here up here I some of them I don't know so but I know this is a really big day for being a kid from career in tech ed this is probably one of the biggest days we've ever had. I'll always be a career in tech kid. Thank you sir. House Bill 202 provides an alternative pathway for career and technical students to demonstrate readiness for post-secondary success and it's clear that using the Keystone exam is not you know it's not a one-size-fits-all graduation option and this bill in addition to being able to use the NIMS test or the Nocti test NIMS and NOCTI but there are other ways to show the competency of equivalence with aspects of the Keystone exam and I have to tell you just a few people I would really like to thank first of all these educators I think the governor and our friends have gathered it today thanks for the great work you're doing I'm not I'm not just saying it you are you're bringing skill sets really important professional skill sets I wish I had these skills sometimes like my father-in-law successful auto motive mechanic very successful businessman by having an automotive mechanic and I'm always telling the boys here's what you can learn from me but here's what you can learn from your grandpa learn a lot more from him and and the skill set that you bring to these young people I think that it is a school option that not enough of our young women and men think about and I think today is going to highlight that with the governor signing this bill and I'm just so proud to be here Karen Coates is my chief of staff Nicole Duffy Karen Cybert could these three fine ladies and staff members with the house who did so much work on that raise their hands I'm going to have them come up later for a signing there's Nicole Karen and Karen they're just outstanding these are two educational experts in the back and then Karen Coates is just just one of those smart people who can jump into anything and help get it across the goal line and we're very very pleased with with the work that they've done I just also want to thank Mike Tobash this young man from school county and my colleague so smart so dedicated so passionate he just is the personification of of taking an issue like career and technical education and telling everybody if pencil man wants to keep growing jobs and and providing you know good support for families and communities this is the path Mike you're you're so passionate so smart about this please come over and tell us about House Bill 202 and where you you think pencil man needs to go thank you everybody so Michael thank mr. Speaker thank you so much you talk about coming to the Speaker's office with an issue and he quickly understands what the issue is and he takes it to task and he engages so many people it is always a pleasure to work with your office and Governor I can tell you that your administration the department has been a joy to work with through the process and I really think we're getting it right now Mike you mentioned it earlier standardized one size fits all education it really does not fit most of the students in Pennsylvania all that well knowledge is knowledge in our belief in our understanding and knowledge about skills that are in demand is extremely valuable right now and important for the future of Pennsylvania House Bill 202 acknowledges educational pathway parity we have to understand that knowledge on a keystone exam and knowledge in welding discern governor are not really different I mean they're both knowledge and we've got to give them credit for the knowledge that they are so we understand that the that the keystone graduation requirement was an impediment it was deterring some students from getting into career and technical schools certainly not giving credit for the skills and the knowledge that taught that is taught in those schools and really it was a factor in the skills gap this huge skills gap that we've got today in this in the state of Pennsylvania I need to also acknowledge my policy director Dr. Ali Hobbs from the day that I was elected we started working on standardized testing and how the unintended consequences and the costs of these exams have been really an impediment to an education system that really connects job creators and educators and the work has been gratifying and the fact that we're here today I think is worthy of celebration and I thank you for all your hard and tireless work House Bill 202 it's about a few things number one it is about student success make no mistake about that it is a bill that empowers schools and teachers and we've got a bunch of educators here today we're so thrilled that they're in the room one young lady back there told me we are teachers and that's why we're getting this done and there's no question about it and it is a bill that really supports job creators in our economy we are listening to schools we are listening to businesses and by helping to improve the skills we're going to improve our workforce and our economic situation in the state of Pennsylvania so I want to thank everyone for being here today thank you very much thank you okay now the speaker and representative to bash and I will take I'm volunteering you will take questions on topic if you have any other questions I'll be happy to take them after the we'll have I'll do a gag so any questions on this topic yes I know that there's obviously a lot of support for this change but was there any concern that this bill perhaps even unintentionally could create two different tracks in a way that might not be beneficial um for the students who are being exempted from the requirement well let the speaker say that I I don't think so I I think one of the nice things about the American education system is that it's very porous that that people can go back and forth you can decide maybe you want to be a an astrophysicist when you're in the eighth grade and by the eleventh grade you can you can actually become an HVAC technician and and unlike other systems and other countries the American education system allows you to to move back and forth people of different ages have different expectations of themselves I think what we're trying to do here is say we're we're at once saying yes there are certain expectations and standards but but we're trying to to make sure that we're we're paying adequate tribute and respect to the teachers in the classroom who are actually preparing our future workers to do whatever work they decide they want to do and and whatever they think they're best fitted to do so I think is both the speaker and and representative Toby I said we're trying to be more flexible don't you want to say anything yes I would just go ahead Mike and Kirk chime in here but uh just I know there it's not the only two ways to meet the um requirement but Nim's and Naughty are not easy tasks they're difficult tasks right everybody um but but the curriculum prepares you to take Nim's and Naughty and if you don't pass them maybe you aren't ready because it's measuring what you've been studying in your curriculum and in a very you know math very significant math and and hands on you know of what I would call applied math and science training really in in many ways um so I think it's just that it's more it's correct if I'm wrong Kurt or other other administrators and teachers here but it's more uh it's aligned with what the educational curriculum is that that's really and and it enhances the value of that curriculum by recognizing that that's how we I think all of all of us see it that way yeah I mean I think for sure I think that if you take a look at the last 20 years we really narrowed might go ahead I think that over the last 20 years we really narrowed curriculum this is an opportunity to start expanding curriculum again I mean there are so many career pathways that exist within the economy of Pennsylvania and there should be more educational pathways and this is just acknowledging that so I understand your comment but I think this really goes in a different direction at acknowledging and giving parity to multiple educational pathways which we need to do a lot more anything else one topic yes where do you speak to governor where do you stand with broader keystone examples well the the department of education has four proposals to to move to a much broader way of of trying to assess student achievement and this is one of those and the effort overall is to do exactly what the speaker said and what what representative tobash said we're trying to make sure that that what we're trying to measure and test at the state level to make sure that taxpayers of Pennsylvania are getting what they want from their investment that we're also leaving maximum flexibility for the the teachers and their students to to design their own force to fit the needs that they have for their own careers I agree with the governor I think your points well made and governor I think you're making significant headway on the other fronts as well and I know we have all of us have staff working in that direction and the governor's direction is something we're in along we're in alignment but you hit the nail in the head last year the department was tasked with doing a study and this is one element of the study three more remain we need to take a look at this in its entirety right we are okay anything else okay if not thank you very much thank you governor thank you so much thank you thank you everybody just come on right up and the governor will be right there and come on everybody just come right around the governor and they'll be able to hey JJ can we get a third chair here let's go on that side hey everybody get as close as you can no no and then we'll face that outwards with the governor signing that's we're honored by this well thank you governor thank you thanks all thank you sir thank you very much can I take some more photos was I talking hey everybody thank you I think the governor's gonna have some other folks come up curtain that's your pen by me thank you very much thank you very much thank you buddy thank you so much thank you how do you look great with that I'll see you buddy thanks for trying all this