The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) was given for many years in Grade 11. Four years ago, the Pennsylvania Department of Education introduced the Keystone Exams in the areas of Algebra I, Biology and Literature. These exams were pilot tested four years ago and have replaced the PSSA. Similar in organization to the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) program, the Keystone assessments are end-of-the-course assessments designed to measure mastery of the standards in various subjects- Algebra I, Biology and Literature. A student can now be assessed in Grades 7 through 11 depending upon when he/she received the Keystone content area(s).
Beginning with the Class of 2019, all students will be required to pass the Keystone Exams or the state-developed graduation project in order to graduate. The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires any non-proficient student to be remediated in the corresponding Keystone content area(s) and retest any test(s) in which he/she is not proficient or advanced.
Red Land High School is administering Keystone Exams on the following dates:
Literature- May 15 and 16, 2017
Biology- May 18 & 19, 2017
Algebra- May 22 & 23, 2017
Any student who fails to score proficient on the Keystone Exams is permitted to retake the Keystone Exams as many times as he/she wishes through the end of the Grade 11 year. The student’s best overall score, a combination of both Module 1 and Module 2, may be derived from multiple test administrations.
We feel strongly that our students are well prepared for these assessments, but we do need your assistance. If your student has a Keystone Exam scheduled on any of the dates listed above, can you please encourage them to do their absolute best? A good night sleep beforehand and something to eat would be helpful too. The Keystones are important.
In order to give our testers the best possible atmosphere, the Keystone Exams will be given using a 2.5 hour delay schedule.
Monday - May 15 Literature Keystone Exam – 2.5 Hour Delay
Tuesday – May 16 Literature Keystone Exam – 2.5 Hour Delay
Wednesday – May 17 Regular Bell Schedule
Thursday – May 18 Biology Keystone Exam – 2.5 Hour Delay
Friday – May 19 Biology Keystone Exam – 2.5 Hour Delay
Monday – May 22 Algebra Keystone Exam - 2.5 Hour Delay
Tuesday – May 23 Algebra Keystone Exam – 2.5 Hour Delay
Wednesday – May 24 Regular Bell Schedule
Thursday – May 25 Regular Bell Schedule
Students taking a Keystone Exam, must report on the test days at the normal time, by 7:37 AM. WSSD transportation will be running on its normal schedule. Students not being assessed may report for school at 10:07 AM on testing days if they can acquire personal transportation.
We have included a few links from the Pennsylvania Department of Education that may assist you with any questions you have regarding the Keystone Exams:
http://www.pdesas.org/module/assessment/pages/Keystone/
http://static.pdesas.org/Content/Documents/FINAL_Exam_Design_Overview_73012.pdf
http://static.pdesas.org/Content/Documents/Ch4%20Guidance%20FAQ%2010-9-14.pdf
We have also developed a webpage titled, "Keystone Exam Information" with subpages in each Keystone content area that provides practice questions, tutorial videos and general information. You can access this information at the website listed below:
Parent Letter- Electronic Devices and Keystone Exams (PDF -63 KB)
Parent Letter- Keystone Information (English) (PDF -123 KB)
Parent Letter- Keystone Information (Spanish) (PDF -143 KB)
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