A state commission looking to heighten college and job readiness urged yesterday that all Pennsylvania high school students be required to pass, before graduating, one of two state exams demonstrating academic skills.

The idea, likely to meet resistance from at least some local school districts, is among a dozen recommendations put forward by the Commission on College and Career Success, a panel of educators, business representatives and advocates appointed by Gov. Ed Rendell.

In releasing the group's 68-page report, commission leaders warned that too many of the state's high school graduates lack the skills needed to succeed in either college or an increasingly competitive job market.

They cited current high school graduation requirements as part of the problem.

At present, students in the state's 501 school districts must show they meet state proficiency standards. But they can do so by either scoring proficient or advanced on the 11th grade Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exam (PSSA) or by showing proficiency on an equivalent local assessment.

That local measure "does not ensure a common statewide graduation standard," the panel concluded in its report.

And because students have a local alternative to passing the PSSA, the test's importance has been greatly minimized, said Judy Hample, commission co-chair and chancellor of the State System of Higher Education, which oversees Pennsylvania's 14 state-owned universities.

The panel recommends instead that graduation hinge either on scoring proficient or advanced on the PSSA or on passing a collection of state-created tests -- dubbed Graduation Competency Assessments -- that would cover such areas as math, English/language arts and American history, economics and government.

"The bottom line is we're really moving the system of education ahead, in my opinion, by establishing a threshold of achievement," Dr. Hample said.

Not everyone was as sure.

Asked about the idea, James Manley, superintendent of the Pine-Richland School District, said yesterday he viewed it as a move toward taking away local school district control over assessing student competency.

"As educators, we are close to these students," he said. "We know what they can do."

He said he's worried the requirement would turn high school years simply into a quest to pass a test. "That is so narrow in terms of what education is all about," he said.

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association said it had not seen the report and could not comment on specifics.

"Generally ... we believe it should be school board responsibility to set local curriculum and local graduation requirements," said association spokesman Scott Shewell.

The commission, which worked for 18 months, issued a related recommendation that school districts be required to record PSSA and Graduation Competency Assessment results on all student transcripts. The commission suggested that colleges and employers use the information for admissions and hiring.

Gov. Rendell, in a statement, called the panel's report "bold" and said it could "truly transform Pennsylvania's high schools."