State Assessments
The state of Pennsylvania measures student achievement and calculates student growth through the use of standardized assessments. The PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) and the Keystone exams are given each spring, beginning with third grade. The following areas are assessed:
PSSA
English Language Arts in grades 3-8
Mathematics in grades 3-8
Science in grades 4 and 8
Keystone
Literature at the completion of the American Studies course
Mathematics at the completion of the Algebra I course
Biology at the completion of the Biology course
PSSA Testing Window 2023-2024 (*Please see individual School Building Calendars for actual testing dates)
English Language Arts, Grades 3-8, April 22 - April 26, 2024
Mathematics, Grades 3-8, April 29 - May 3, 2024
Science, Grades 4 and 8, April 29 - May 3, 2024
Keystone Testing Window 2023-2024
Winter: December 4 - December 15, 2023
Spring: May 13 - May 24, 2024
Keystone information for the Classes of 2022-2026
The graduating classes of 2023 and beyond must meet Pennsylvania Department of Education's graduation requirement in order to receive a high school diploma. While the state anticipates that most students will meet this requirement by passing Keystone exams in the areas of Algebra, Biology and Literature, they have also developed some alternative pathways to graduation for students who do not meet the Keystone measure. Please note that the federal government requires that students in Pennsylvania sit for the administration of the Keystone exam for accountability purposes and an alternate pathway would be determined once that has occurred. Students who took Algebra, Biology or Literature in the 2019-2020 school year and passed the course are deemed to be proficient for the purpose of meeting the graduation requirement under Senate Bill 1095, which was enacted due to the COVID-19 related school closures that occurred in the spring of 2020. Information about alternate pathways to graduation can be found on the PDE website.