Over the course of the year, students have dedicated their time to mastering the curriculum and grasping new concepts. As the end of the year approaches, students will showcase their knowledge through the Keystone Exams. Given as a state wide test, the Keystone Exams cover Algebra 1, Literature and Biology. Students are required to take these exams during the year in which they take the correlating class, which can start as early as eighth grade for some students in Algebra 1.
The Keystone Exams aim to help school districts guide students toward meeting state standards and serve as part of Pennsylvania’s statewide high school graduation requirement, according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Outlined on the high school’s website, students must obtain proficiency on the three end-of-course Keystone Exams in order to graduate. For students who do not achieve a score of Proficient or Advanced, above a score of 1500, on any of the three Keystone Exams, the district has implemented the option to demonstrate postsecondary preparedness through one of four additional pathways. These additional pathways include many opportunities for students to fit their needs while meeting the requirements.
One of these options is the Keystone Composite Pathway. According to the high school’s website, this pathway requires students to earn a composite score of 4452 on the Algebra I, Literature, and Biology Keystone Exams while achieving at least a proficient score on at least one of the exams and no less than a basic score on the remaining two.
This year’s Keystone Exams are set to take place May 12 through May 20, with Biology Exams being on May 12 and 13, English Keystones on May 14 and May 15 and Algebra Keystones on May 19 and May 20. On these designated testing days, students taking the exams will report to school at the regular time. For those students who passed or are not required to take the exam, they will report to school on a two-hour delay schedule. The rest of the school day will follow this two-hour delay guideline. According to Mr. Steven Mott, Transportation will continue to run on a normal schedule. Students that aren’t testing will be able to go to the auditorium until the start of first block. Students that attend the Beaver County Career & Technology Center (CTC), who aren’t taking the Keystone exam will attend the CTC at their regularly scheduled time.
To prepare for these exams, students have engaged in the curriculum covered within their classes and a recently added Keystone Remediation program. During the 2023-2024 school year, this program was implemented to help students who received less than a proficient score on an exam earn a higher score when they retake the test. Held during personal learning time, remediation taught students test taking strategies, engaged them in packets and guided them through practices.
“[The Keystone exams] made me a better test taker and slowed me down and made me concentrate more on tests,” Brayden Reynolds (10) said. “[My advice is to] go to all of your remediation classes and try your hardest to do all the packets they give you.”
While the Keystone Exams are state enforced and a requirement for graduation, these exams can also benefit students. As students age and advance into higher-level education, tests become more difficult and advanced. The test-taking skills, like time management and reading comprehension, that are learned and practiced through the Keystone Exams can carry over and enable students to thrive later in life.