• KEYSTONE EXAMS
    GENERAL INFORMATION
    • The Keystone Exams are one component of Pennsylvania’s new system of high school graduation requirements. Keystone Exams will help school districts guide students toward meeting state standards— standards aligned with expectations for success in college and the workplace. In order to receive a diploma, students must also meet local district credit and attendance requirements and complete a culminating project, along with any additional district requirements.
    • The Keystone Exams are end-of-course assessments designed to assess proficiency in many subject areas. The following Keystone Exams have been designed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to include: Algebra I, Literature, English Composition, and Biology.
    • Other Keystone Exams currently under consideration for development are as follows: Algebra II, Geometry, Chemistry, U.S. History, World History, and Civics and Government.
    • Students may take the Keystone Exam on completion of the corresponding coursework associated with the content area. For example, if a student completes Algebra 1 and is in 8th grade, s/he would complete the Keystone Exam for Algebra 1 at the end of the course. If a student does not enroll in Algebra 1 until his/her 11th grade year, s/he would be required to take the corresponding Keystone Exam at the end of 11th grade.
    • If a student does not attain proficiency on a Keystone Exam, s/he will be required to attempt the exam a second time.
    • If a student is not proficient after the second attempt, s/he will be required to complete a Pennsylvania Department of Education designed project and evaluated as ‘proficient’ by regional administrators in order to meet the graduation requirement for that exam.
    • Graduating classes subsequent to 2016 will be required to demonstrate proficiency on the Keystone Exams mentioned above. Additional Keystone Exams may be required as they are developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
    • Updates will be provided as new information becomes available. 
     
     
     
     
    Keystone Exam Information from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE)