The Pennsylvania Department of Education cannot cancel its statewide assessments this school year due to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which makes it a requirement to assess for accountability.
Last spring due to the pandemic, all 50 states were granted assessment waivers by the US Department of Education.
Standardized tests, according to the federal government, should be administered to provide data to assist in identifying and supporting students’ learning needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the PSSA, East Union and Middle School students will be assessed in English Language Arts and Math, and students in grades 4 and 8 will be assessed in science.
The Keystone Exams are end-of-course assessments for Algebra I, Literature and Biology, and are one component of Pennsylvania's high school graduation requirements.
DLSD is required to administer standardized testing in school.
PDE has provided school districts with an extended window of PSSA testing from April 19 to May 28 to give enough time to administer the assessments to students in the buildings as well as remote students in a safe environment. The Keystone exams dates have been extended from May 17 - June 25 to accommodate high school students while following safety protocols and assessment requirements.
The state has requested a waiver from the federal government asking to remove its 95% participation rate requirement since substantial portions of each school district’s population is learning remotely.
If the participation rate requirement is not eliminated, school district scores likely would be negatively affected for the Future Ready Index, which includes a range of assessment, on-track, and readiness indicators to report student learning, growth, and success.