Pennsylvania System School Assessment (PSSA)
The annual Pennsylvania System School Assessment is a standards-based, criterion-referenced assessment which provides students, parents, educators and citizens with an understanding of student and school performance related to the attainment of proficiency of the academic standards. These standards in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science and Technology identify what a student should know and be able to do at varying grade levels. School districts possess the freedom to design curriculum and instruction to ensure that students meet or exceed the standards' expectations.
Every Pennsylvania student in grades 3 through 8 is assessed in English Language Arts and Math. Every Pennsylvania student in grades 4 and 8 is assessed in science.
Individual student scores, provided only to their respective schools, can be used to assist teachers in identifying students who may be in need of additional educational opportunities, and school scores provide information to schools and districts for curriculum and instruction improvement discussions and planning.
In compliance with §4.51(a)(4) of the PA School Code the State Board of Education approved, "specific criteria for advanced, proficient, basic and below basic levels of performance."
NWEA MAP Growth
The NWEA MAP Growth assessment is used in all grade levels.
MAP Growth is the most trusted and innovative assessment for measuring achievement and growth in K–12 math, reading, language usage, and science. It provides teachers with accurate, and actionable evidence to help target instruction for each student or groups of students regardless of how far above or below they are from their grade level. It also connects to the largest set of instructional content providers, giving educators flexibility in curriculum choices.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015. This measure reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965.
The Keystone exams meet the federal accountability criteria of ESSA for the high school level. 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.
The Keystone exams were created to replace the Grade 11 PSSA and serve as one component of Pennsylvania's statewide high school graduation requirement. Keystone Exams will help school districts guide students toward meeting state standards. The exams are end-of-course assessments designed to assess proficiency in the subject areas of Algebra I, Literature, and Biology.
PSAT
The PSAT/NMSQT takes 2 hours and 45 minutes and consists of 3 tests: (1) the Reading Test, (2) the Writing and Language Test, and (3) the Math Test. Most of the questions are multiple choice, though some math questions ask you to write in the answer rather than select it.
The following table shows how much time you get for each test and the number of questions for each test:
| Section |
Length (minutes) |
Number of Questions/Tasks |
| Reading |
60 |
47 |
| Writing and Language |
35 |
44 |
| Math |
70 |
48 |
| Total |
165 |
139 |
DIBELS - ELA & Math
DIBELS ® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills. They are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures that can be used to regularly detect risk and monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills in kindergarten through eighth grade.
DIBELS was developed to measure recognized and empirically validated skills related to general reading outcomes. Each subtest has been thoroughly researched and demonstrated to be a reliable and valid indicator of early literacy development. When implemented as recommended, DIBELS results can be used to evaluate individual student development as well as provide grade-level feedback toward validated instructional objectives.
The research-based subtests are predictive of later reading proficiency and contribute to a composite score that is the single best predictor of later reading development. The measures are consistent with many of the Common Core State Standards in Reading, especially those for Foundational Skills. Combined, the measures form an assessment system of early literacy development that allows educators to readily and reliably determine student progress in kindergarten through eighth grade.
