The recent changes to the statewide high school graduation requirements in Pennsylvania are important to understand for your student’s future. Starting with the graduating class of 2023, students must meet statewide requirements through one of five “Pathways to Graduation” along with any local requirements.
The first pathway is the Proficiency Pathway, which requires a proficient score on all three areas of the Keystone Exams (Algebra I, Biology & Literature). If your student received a proficient score on all three Keystone Exam areas, they will meet the requirements of the Proficiency Pathway and be eligible to graduate. They will of course also need to meet all other local graduation requirements such as number of credits earned.
If you have a student graduating this year who has not reached a score of proficient on their Keystone exams or were opted out of the exams, you will want to pay attention to this!
If your student is unable to reach a score of proficient on all three areas of the Keystone Exams they will need to complete an alternate pathway in order to graduate. Students opted out of the Keystone Exams for religious or other reasons will also be required to complete one of the alternate pathways to graduate.
The alternate pathways were created with the intent of more fully illustrating college, career and, and community readiness.
The 5 Pathways to Graduation created by the PA Dept. of Education are:
- Proficiency Pathway – student scores proficient or advanced on each Keystone Exam.
- Composite Pathway – Student earns a satisfactory composite score of 4452 on the Algebra I, Literature & Biology Keystone Exams. Students must also obtain a proficient or advanced on at least one of the three exams and no less than basic on the other two.
- CTE Concentrator Pathway- Student must earn passing grade on courses associated with each Keystone Exam and attain an industry-based competency certification (i.e. from a technical high school) or the likelihood of successfully completing an industry-based competency assessment.
- Alternative Assessment Pathway – Student earns a passing grade on courses associated with each Keystone and satisfactorily complete one of the following: 1. Alternate assessment such as SAT, PSAT, ACT, ASVAB; 2. Enrollment in advanced coursework (AP, IB); 3. Successful completion of a pre-apprenticeship; or 4. Acceptance into a 4-year nonprofit institution of higher education for college-level coursework.
- Evidence-Based Pathway- Student earns a passing grade on courses associated with each Keystone and provide three pieces of evidence from the student’s career portfolio aligned to student’s goals and career plan. The Evidence outlined by the Dept. of Education is broken down into two sections. Students must choose at least 1 piece of evidence from Section 1 and not more than 2 pieces from Section 2. Evidence examples include ACT Workkeys, higher education acceptance, community learning project, successful completion of an internship, externship, or co-op, or guarantee of full-time employment.
A more detailed breakdown of each pathway and its requirements can be found here:
It is important to note that each school district is required to publish their graduation requirements on their website, so be sure to check your district’s website for the exact requirements.
In rare circumstances the Pathway requirements can be waived by a chief school administrator. Examples of extenuating circumstances include serious illness, frequent school transfers, and transfers from out of state in the 12th grade. ESL learners and students graduating based on their IEP goals may also be eligible for a waiver. Waivers may also be granted to students graduating in 2023, 2024 and 2025 due to Covid-19. Overuse of waivers can result in a review of a District by the PA Department of Education. Due to that they will likely be used sparingly.
If you have a student graduating this year who did not receive a score of proficient on their Keystone Exams or opted out of them, reach out to your child’s school counselor, transition coordinator and/or case manager as soon as possible to create a plan to ensure your child is able to graduate on time.
Maddox Special Education Advocacy 