Act 158 of 2018 Graduation Requirements
Act 158, which defines graduation requirements in Pennsylvania, was amended in 2018 to provide students with multiple pathway options to demonstrate academic proficiency and fulfill the state requirements. The implementation of the Act was deferred until the 2023 graduating year. Beginning with the graduating class of 2023, all students must demonstrate proficiency in Algebra, Biology and Literature. Regardless of the pathway a student follows to earn their diploma, the Keystone exam remains a federal requirement. Religious opt out remains the only way that a student can be excused from taking the Keystone exams. The majority of Lower Moreland students are anticipated to meet the graduation requirement through performance on the Keystone exams. Keystone scores can fulfill the requirement in one of two ways. First, if the student is proficient or advanced on each of the Keystone exams, they meet the requirement through the Keystone Proficiency Pathway. There is also the possibility of the Keystone Composite Pathway for students who are not proficient on all three exams, but have no scores of below basic and at least one score of Proficient or Advanced and the total score for all three exams is 4452 or better. If a student does not fulfill the requirement through one of the Keystone related pathways, they must pass the Keystone related course to fulfill the local graduation requirement and then meet additional data points. The school counselor and/or high school administration will assist in determining the best pathway based on the student's academic profile. For students who attend ECAT, the requirement can be fulfilled by attaining an industry-based competency certification. For non-career and technical education students, alternate assessments can be used, such as ACT, SAT, ASVAB, PSAT/NMSQT or AP. Additional alternative options include successful completion of a dual enrollment college course or acceptance into a four year, non-profit institution of higher education, an industry recognized credential, service learning project, satisfactory compliance with the NCAA requirements, minimum GPA or guarantee of full time employment.