Wolf Signs New Law Impacting Keystone Exams

The graduation requirement for the Keystone Exams has been delayed until the 2018-2019 school year, after Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed a new bill into law Wednesday.

The new law, Senate Bill 880, delays the Keystone Exams graduation requirement for two years. The bill had previously passed both chambers unanimously.

“There have been issues with the implementation of the Keystone Exams, and it is prudent to allow more time to evaluate the best options of measuring student success,” the Governor’s office said in a statement.

“My administration is currently engaging teachers, administrators and students, community leaders, stakeholders and advocates from around the state to develop a comprehensive school accountability system that will support schools and help Pennsylvania students succeed,” he said.

According to information from the Governor’s office, “significantly higher” numbers of students are failing to demonstrate proficiency on one or both of the two modules available for each Keystone Exam even after a retake.

The alternative method for demonstrating proficiency in the standards is the Project Based Assessment (PBA), which was “intended and designed primarily as alternative for students who had difficulty with the Keystone testing format, not necessarily for students who had failed to master content.”

In addition to delaying the use of Keystone exams as a graduation requirement, the legislation also requires the Department of Education to investigate alternative methods for students to demonstrate proficiency for graduation beyond just the use of the Keystone Exams.

The Department of Education will present a report of its findings within six months to the House and Senate Education Committees.

The Department of Education is also planning meetings with stakeholders to discuss how to address the problem, improve the process and study the graduation requirements of other states.