KEYSTONES
Keystone Exams and Act 158
The Keystone Exams are end-of-course assessments designed to assess proficiency in specific subject areas, as determined by the state. These exams are one component of Pennsylvania’s new system of high school graduation requirements. In order to graduate, students in the class of 2023 & those following are required to participate in three Keystone Exams (Algebra I, Biology, & Literature) & meet the district’s required graduation credits. Students who do not score Proficient or Advanced on the Keystone tested subjects may participate in a Proficiency Development Course prior to retesting. These courses are Pass/Fail and do not factor into a student’s GPA, they are worth .5 credit for each subject, Algebra and Biology only as Literature Proficiency is integrated into the 11th grade English curriculum.
Act 158 of 2018 provides alternatives to Pennsylvania’s statewide requirement of attaining proficiency on the three end-of-course Keystone Exams (Algebra I, Literature, and Biology) in order for a student to achieve statewide graduation requirements. Effective with the graduating class of 2023, students have the option to demonstrate postsecondary preparedness through one of four additional pathways that more fully illustrate college, career, and community readiness. Keystone Exams will continue as the statewide assessment Pennsylvania uses to comply with accountability requirements set forth in the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Although students will no longer be required to achieve proficiency on the Keystone Exams in order to meet statewide graduation requirements, students must take the Keystone Exams for purposes of federal accountability. Failure to do so will affect a Local Education Agency (LEA) and school’s participation rate.