PSSA and Keystone Information
Students in grades 3-8 and select high school students will participate in the Pennsylvania State Assessments on the dates below. These exams provide students the opportunity to showcase their learning for the school year. Student participation is critical for district accountability measures, and testing results help drive district actions and decisions to best support the needs of our students and community.
Please refer to the information below to gain a better understanding of the assessments and familiarize yourself with their policies and procedures.
2026 PSSA Testing Dates
Grades 3-8
| English and Language Arts (ELA) | April 21, 22, 23 |
| Mathematics | April 27, 28 |
| Science (Grades 5 and 8 only) | April 29, 30 |
| Makeups | Through May 8 |
Spring 2026 Keystone Exam Window
Course-Specific Middle and High School Students
Algebra 1, Literature, and Biology: May 11 to May 22
Information for Parents or Guardians Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)
Taken from: Pennsylvania Department of Education Handbook for Assessment Coordinators 2026 PA
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PSSA
Which schools participate?
All school districts and charter schools participate in the assessments. Nonpublic and private schools may also participate on a voluntary basis.
Which students take the assessments?
Except for a very few students who meet specific criteria for participation in an alternate assessment, all students are included in the assessments as outlined below: ELA & Mathematics—Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Science—Grades 5 and 8
Who decided what the assessments should measure?
Groups of educators from all levels of education in Pennsylvania chose the areas of knowledge and skills upon which the assessments are based. The groups included teachers, supervisors, curriculum directors, and college specialists. They also reviewed, edited, and approved the test items.
Who administers the assessments?
Each school chooses the person(s) who will administer the assessments. In most cases, these are teachers in the students' building.
How are the results reported?
Two copies of the individual student report for all assessments will be sent to all schools and districts that participate for distribution to parents, teachers, school counselors, and/or principals. The state will not receive any report with individual names included.
School-level reports will be used for curricular and planning purposes. School districts and charter schools may publish the results of PSSA testing for each school. The state will also release school-by-school assessment data.
May parents see the assessments?
Yes, under one circumstance. School entities are required to have policies to ensure that parents or guardians have the right to review a state assessment in the school entity during convenient hours for parents or guardians starting two weeks prior to the testing window to the end of the make-up schedule in order to determine whether a state assessment conflicts with their religious belief. This is the only reason allowable under regulation.
Confidentiality agreements must be signed, and no copies of the assessments or notes about assessment items will be permitted to leave the school. If after reviewing the test, parents or guardians find the test to be in conflict with their religious belief and wish their student(s) to be excused from the test, the right of the parents or guardians will not be denied upon written request to the applicable school district Superintendent, charter school Chief Executive Officer, or AVTS Director. Parents or guardians should contact their child's school to make arrangements to review the test.
Report Testing Irregularities Parents/guardians who believe that a testing irregularity may have occurred may email ra-edirregularities@pa.gov to report the incident.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENT (grades 3 through 8)
How long does the assessment take?
The entire English Language Arts assessment takes approximately three to four hours to complete. Your school district will inform you about the assessment schedule.
What does the assessment include?
Each student completes three sections of questions for the English Language Arts assessment. Some portions will be the same for all students, and some will consist of different groups of questions.
What types of questions are on the assessment?
Students respond to multiple-choice, evidence-based selected-response, technology-enhanced, and constructed-response questions. In a multiple-choice question, the correct answer(s) is chosen from four options. Evidence-based selected-response questions have two parts, and students select one or more answers for each part. Technology-enhanced questions use interactive formats to allow students to construct answers. Constructed-response questions may include a short-answer (grade 3) or text dependent analysis (grades 4 through 8). Short-answer questions require students to compose a brief response to support their answer. For the text dependent analysis question, students analyze a text and use evidence from the reading passage to compose an essay.
How are written responses to constructed-response items scored?
The written responses for English Language Arts are scored by evaluators trained in applying an ELA-specific scoring guideline. For short-answer questions, scores are based on content only. Spelling and punctuation are not included as part of the scoring process. Responses to text dependent analysis questions are scored based on both content and writing skills.
What is assessed in English Language Arts?
The English Language Arts assessment addresses six major reporting categories as well as two text types. Students respond to standalone questions assessing language. Additionally, students read a number of passages from literature and informational genres and respond to questions about these passages that indicate both comprehension and reading skills and the students' analysis and interpretation of different types of texts.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE MATHEMATICS ASSESSMENT (grades 3 through 8)
How long does the assessment take?
The entire mathematics assessment takes approximately two to three hours to complete. Your school district will inform you about the assessment schedule.
What does the assessment include?
Each student completes two sections of questions for the mathematics assessment. Some portions will be the same for all students, and some will consist of different groups of questions.
What types of questions are on the assessment?
Students respond to three types of questions: multiple-choice, technology-enhanced, and open-ended. In a multiple-choice question, the correct answer is chosen from the four presented options. Technology-enhanced questions use interactive formats to allow students to construct answers. Open-ended questions require students to compose their responses. Open-ended questions generally require students to provide detail in support of their answers (such as showing or describing the steps performed to complete a calculation).
How are written responses to open-ended items scored?
The written responses for mathematics open-ended items are scored by evaluators trained in applying a mathematics-specific scoring guideline. In mathematics, scores are based on content only. Spelling and punctuation are not included as part of the scoring process.
What is assessed in Mathematics?
The mathematics assessment addresses five major reporting categories across four clusters. The reporting categories assessed and the proportion of questions in each reporting category vary by grade level. As a part of the assessment of Cluster A, Numbers and Operations, students in grades 4 through 8 respond to a set of questions without a calculator. Constructed-response items may require the students to show all of their work (e.g., calculations, graphs, drawings) and/or to explain in writing how they solved the problems.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCIENCE ASSESSMENT (grades 5 and 8)
How long does the assessment take?
The entire science assessment takes approximately one to two hours to complete. Your school district will inform you about the assessment schedule.
What does the assessment include?
Students in grades 5 and 8 complete two sections of questions for the science assessment. The science assessment will consist of different groups of questions on different test forms.
What types of questions are on the assessment?
Students respond to three types of questions: multiple-choice, technology-enhanced, and open-ended. In a multiple-choice question, the correct answer is chosen from the four presented options. Technology-enhanced questions use interactive formats to allow students to construct answers. Open-ended questions require students to compose their responses. Grades 5 and 8 may also include science scenarios.
What is a science scenario?
A science scenario contains text, graphics, charts, and/or tables and uses these elements to describe the results of a class project, an experiment, or other similar research. Students use the information found in a science scenario to answer multiple-choice questions.
How are written responses to open-ended items scored?
The written responses for science open-ended items are scored by evaluators trained in applying a science-specific scoring guideline. In science, scores are based on content only. Spelling and punctuation are not included as part of the scoring process.
What is assessed in science?
The science assessment addresses the four major reporting categories: Technology and Engineering, Life Sciences & Environmental Literacy and Sustainability, Physical Sciences, and Earth and Space Sciences. The proportion of items in each reporting category varies by grade level.
Information for Parents or Guardians Pennsylvania Keystone Exams
What are the Keystone Exams?
The Keystone Exams are end-of-course assessments designed to evaluate proficiency in academic content. Beginning with the class of 2022–2023, students must demonstrate proficiency on the Algebra I, Literature, and Biology Keystone Exams to graduate or fulfill one of the other pathways provided to graduate. Students will be offered multiple opportunities to take the Keystones throughout their high school career.
Who will participate in the Keystone Exams?
In 2012–13, the Algebra I, Literature, and Biology Keystone Exams replaced the 11th-grade Pennsylvania System of School Assessments (PSSA) in math, reading, and science for purposes of student, educator, and school accountability. Students should take the Keystone Exams at or near the end of a Keystone-related course. The students' results are banked until their junior year for accountability purposes and until their senior year for graduation purposes. Some students who previously completed a Keystone-related course but did not take the Keystone Exam will also participate for accountability purposes. All students who take a Keystone Exam may retake the exam.
When will the exams be offered?
The Keystone Exams will be administered three times each year—winter, spring, and summer. Specific administration dates will be published by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Who decided what Keystone Exams should measure?
Groups of educators from across Pennsylvania chose the areas of knowledge on which the Keystone Exams are based. The groups included teachers, supervisors, curriculum directors, and college specialists. Other groups of Pennsylvania educators also reviewed, edited, and approved exam questions.
What is assessed on the Keystone Exams?
Pennsylvania adopted the Pennsylvania Core Standards, standards aligned with expectations for success in college and the workplace. The Keystones are designed to measure these standards.
How long is a Keystone Exam administration?
There is no time limit for a student to complete a Keystone Exam. Each Keystone Exam should take the typical student two to three hours to complete. There are two modules on each test, and each module (or Test Session) of the Keystone Exam should take one to 1.5 hours to complete. Districts can administer the Keystone Exam modules across two days or divided across the morning and the afternoon of the same day.
What are the available formats for administering the Keystone Exams?
The Keystone Exams are available in an online format. Districts will be using the online format for the administration and for makeup exams.
Will students have an opportunity to experience online testing before taking a Keystone Exam online?
Tutorials and online training programs have been developed for the Keystone Exams. The PA Online Assessment Student Tutorial uses pictures, motion, and sound to present visual and verbal descriptions of the properties and features of the PA Online Assessment system. Students are allowed to repeat the Student Tutorial as often as desired and needed. The Online Tools Training (OTT) provides an introductory experience using the PA online assessment software allowing students to observe and try out features of the PA online assessment software prior to the actual assessment. Within the OTT, students also have the opportunity to practice typing responses in a narrative format, graphing functions, interacting with technology-enhanced questions, and entering equations using an equation builder tool. The online exam also has a "Help" feature that is available to the student during the exam.
What types of questions are on the Keystone Exams?
The Keystone Exams will include multiple-choice, technology-enhanced, and constructed-response, or open-ended, questions. For each Keystone Exam, approximately 60 percent to 80 percent of the total score will be from multiple-choice and technology-enhanced questions and 20 percent to 40 percent of the total score will be from constructed-response questions.
How are the written responses to constructed-response questions scored?
The written responses for constructed-response questions are scored by evaluators trained in applying a pre-determined scoring system. Scores are based on content only. Spelling and punctuation are not included as part of the scoring process. Most constructed-response questions require students to show their work or explain their reasoning. These Keystone Exam questions will ask students to explain, analyze, describe, or compare. Some questions will also require students to perform calculations or create graphs, plots, or drawings.
How are the results reported?
Keystone Exam scores will be processed as quickly as possible and provided to the districts.
Two copies of the individual student report for all Keystone Exams will be sent to the school districts and charter schools. One copy should be sent home to parents/guardians; the other is kept by the school/district.
School-level reports will be used for curricular and planning purposes. School districts and charter schools may publish the results of Keystone Exams for each school. The state will also release school-by-school exam data.
May parents see the Keystone Exams?
Parents and guardians may review the Keystone Exams if they believe they may be in conflict with their religious beliefs by making arrangements with the School Test Coordinator. Confidentiality agreements must be signed, and no copies of the Keystone Exams or notes about exam questions will be permitted to leave the school.
If, after reviewing the Keystone Exams, parents or guardians do not want their child to participate in one or all of the exams due to a conflict with their religious beliefs, they may write a letter indicating they have a religious objection to the school district superintendent or charter school CAO to request their child be excused from the exam(s).
Report Testing Irregularities Parents/guardians who believe that a testing irregularity may have occurred may email ra-edirregularities@pa.gov to report the incident.
For additional information about the Keystone Exams, visit the PDE website at https://www.pa.gov/agencies/education/programs-and-services/instruction/elementary-and-secondary-education/assessment-and-accountability/keystone-exams or contact your school district.
Electronic Device Newsletter
Dear Parent/Guardian:
In an era of cell phones, smartphones and other electronic devices which can easily photograph and instantly share photographs, confidential and secure test materials can be easily compromised. Not only is it expensive to replace a compromised test item, the material contained in the PSSA and Keystone Exams is copyrighted property of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Copying or duplicating the material from the assessment, including the taking of a photograph of secure assessment material, is a violation of the federal Copyright Act. Penalties for violations of the Copyright Act may include the cost of replacing the compromised test item(s) or fines of no less than $750 up to $30,000 for a single violation (17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.).
In order to ensure reliable test results and to avoid the cost of replacing test items, the Department of Education requires schools to set rules and take certain steps to protect test materials. Electronic devices such as but not limited to cell phones, smartphones, smartwatches, smart glasses, E-readers, Nooks, Kindles, iPods, tablets, camera-ready devices, and any other electronic device which can be used to photograph or duplicate test materials, access the internet and/or communicate with others during the administration of the PSSA or Keystone Exams are not permitted in any testing site. Please speak with your child and let your child know that the possession and/or use of a cell phone or other electronic device during the administration of the PSSA or Keystone Exams will result in consequences.
You will be contacted by the school if your child is discovered using and/or having a cell phone or other unapproved electronic device during the administration of the PSSA or Keystone Exams. Students who ignore this directive will be subject to the school's discipline policy and the Department of Education's requirement that the student's test will not be scored and the student will be required to retake the entire exam. The electronic device will be held by school staff, and the device's stored photographs and other functions will be examined with your permission. You may request to be present when the electronic device is examined. If a photograph of the PSSA or Keystone Exam is discovered or if permission to search other functions of the electronic device is refused, the device will be held by the school staff. The Pennsylvania Department of Education holds the copyright to all material contained within the PSSA and Keystone Exams, the Pennsylvania Department of Education will be contacted and further action may be taken.
If, after testing is complete, it is discovered that a student used and/or had a cell phone or other unapproved electronic device during the administration of the test, the school's discipline policy will be followed and the student's test will not be scored.
Code of Conduct for Test Takers
DO...
Listen to, read, and follow all directions given.
Ask questions if you do not understand the directions.
Read each question carefully, especially multiple-choice items that ask for the "best answer." Also, be sure to read any open-ended items carefully before responding.
Keep your eyes on your own test.
Answer each test item.
Check that you have completed all the test items before you submit your final responses online.
Report any suspected cheating to your teacher or principal.
DO NOT...
Have notes in your possession during the test.
Have any unapproved electronic devices (cell phones, cameras, smartphones, smartwatches, earbuds, smart glasses, etc.) in your possession during the test. Note, you may have approved calculators, if applicable, during the test.
Share a calculator with others.
Use a calculator when not permitted.
Talk with others about questions on the test during or after the test. (Students should be assured that they may discuss the testing process or issues of concern with their parents/guardians.)
Take notes about the test to share with others.
Leave an online test session until the session is complete or until instructed to do so.
Use social media to post information about the test and/or test items.