HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced the results from the 2023-24 school year administration of state-level assessments — the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA), and Keystone Exams. This year’s results show that overall statewide achievement continues to improve – and both student attendance and four-year graduation rates were up, as well.
“I am so excited that, once again, this year’s assessment results showed increased levels of participation and improvement across the Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “Pennsylvania’s schools are using new, innovative approaches to help their students learn, increasing assessment flexibility for both educators and learners alike. I am confident that with each passing year, participation and achievement will continue to improve and give students new ways to chart their own course and succeed.”
All State Assessment proficiency rates increased from or remained near 2022-2023 results.
Math proficiency increased from 38.3 percent in 22-23 to 40.2 percent in 23-24, Science increased from 58.9 percent in 22-23 to 59.2 percent in 23-24, and English Language Arts proficiency decreased from 54.5 percent in 22-23 to 53.9 percent in 23-24. Another notable area of improvement was seen in English Learner Growth and Attainment, increasing from 29 percent in 22-23 to 31.7 percent in 23-24. Additionally, Regular Attendance Growth and Attainment increased from 73.9 percent in 22-23 to 78.1 percent in 23-24.
Participation and achievement data have been added to the Future Ready PA Index, a comprehensive reporting system for presenting school-level data across a broad range of indicators, such as English language acquisition, career readiness, access to advanced coursework, and regular attendance. The Future Ready PA Index shows continued improvement as well, as four-year cohort graduation rates increased from 87 percent in 22-23 to 87.6 percent in 23-24.
Pennsylvania’s statewide assessments include the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) for grades 3 through 8; end-of-course Keystone Exams administered in middle and high school depending on when students take the corresponding subject; and the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA) that ensures equitable participation by students who are unable to participate in the general assessments. Assessments must be administered in-person, which has affected assessment participation rates across the state over the past several years.
Earlier this year, Gov. Josh Shapiro took action to reduce reliance on standardized testing and help more students and teachers succeed by implementing a three-part plan to overhaul Pennsylvania’s state assessment system and move PSSA and Keystone testing online. These changes will save Pennsylvania millions of dollars, reduce the burden on students, families, and teachers, shorten the time students spend taking tests, and ensure schools get results faster.
As part of that plan, PDE rolled out a new, free benchmarking tool for schools last month – PA Firefly. PA Firefly is a PA-specific tool that will allow educators to assess students’ mastery of material taught in PA classrooms and covered on end-of-year exams, and intervene earlier to help students who need more help to fully master certain material. The diagnostic exam is fully aligned to Pennsylvania standards to reflect and measure the same student knowledge and skills measured by the summative end-of-year and end-of-course assessments. It signals student readiness for Pennsylvania’s end-of-year exams and lights the way with high-quality reporting and instructional resources for teachers throughout the year.
Additionally, Act 136 of 2020 waived “banked scores” for middle and high school students who would have taken a Keystone Exam in school year 2019-20, decreasing the count of eligible testers in the cohort of test takers. These test waivers impacted Keystone results reporting through 2023-24.
