This brief describes the District-wide tests administered at the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) during the 2021-22 school year and provides details about student participation.
The School District of Philadelphia’s Board of Education’s Goal 4 is focused on improving the reading and math performance of grades 9-11 students on the Keystones. To track progress toward the Goal, the District examines the performance of students on “Leading Indicators,” the within-year assessments of reading and math skills administered multiple times between the annual Keystone exams. This report examines the statistical relationship of Winter and Spring Star performance and Keystone performance in 2021-22.
The 2021-22 school year was the first year that the PSSAs and Keystones were administered normally since 2018-19 (pre-pandemic). These briefs describe District-wide performance trends on the PSSAs and the Keystone exams from 2014-15 to 2021-22.
Beginning with the class of 2023, Pennsylvania high school students will need to demonstrate career or postsecondary preparedness to meet statewide graduation requirements and receive a diploma. This Philadelphia Education Research Consortium (PERC) publication examines Pennsylvania’s new graduation requirements (Act 158), including the results of an analysis using historical District data to explore potential impacts for school communities.
A retrospective analysis of the academic trajectories of SDP 9th-graders who were on track to graduate in 2014-15. This brief identifies the 9th-grade characteristics that predict higher and lower graduation rates and also includes information about Keystone performance.