The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is a

standardized test A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predete ...

administered in public schools in the state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Students in grades 3-8 are assessed in English language arts skills and mathematics. Students in grades 4 and 8 are also assessed in skills relating to

natural science Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

, including the field of data interpretation and analysis. Since 2013, high school students have taken the

Keystone Exam The Keystone Exam is a Pennsylvania standardized test administered to the public schools of Pennsylvania, United States. The test has been developed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education. Since the 2012–2013 school year, the ...

in place of the PSSA for their standardized testing. The PSSA's were made by a company in New Jersey. The PSSA is written, owned and administered by Pearson Education. There are reporting categories for each subject which list eligible content to be tested in each grade. Assessment Anchors specify what is considered eligible content for each grade level tested. A Proficient or Advanced level is needed to be able to qualify as passing the PSSA.

Underlying Principles

The PSSA applies to all public schools and districts, including charter schools and cyber charter schools. The questions are based on Common Core Standards and content expectations. The goal is to have 100% of students proficient or above in reading and math by 2014.

Scoring

There are four levels on which a student may score: ''advanced'', ''proficient'', ''basic'', and ''below basic''. The Pennsylvania Department of Education defines the four levels as follows.

Advanced

Proficient

Basic

Below Basic

Adequate Yearly Progress

Districts must meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading and math. To make AYP, the school and district must meet target percentages with all students, as well as with every subgroup of 40 or more students, scoring at the Advanced or Proficient level. Schools which fail to meet AYP for two consecutive years are subject to sanctions, such as loss of funding and restaffing. Subgroups include: Economically Disadvantaged (

Title I The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1965. Part of Johnson's "War on Poverty", the act has been one of the most far-rea ...

), Limited English proficiency, Students with

Individualized Education Program An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legal document under United States law that is developed for each public school child in the U.S. who needs special education. It is created through a team of the child's parent(s) and district pers ...

s, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, White Students, and Multi-racial/Multi-ethnic Students.

Reporting Categories

Math reporting categories include numbers and operations, measurement,

geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...

algebra Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics. Elementary ...

ic concepts, and

data analysis Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analysis has multiple facets and approaches, enc ...

and

probability Probability is the branch of mathematics concerning numerical descriptions of how likely an event is to occur, or how likely it is that a proposition is true. The probability of an event is a number between 0 and 1, where, roughly speaking, ...

. Reading reporting categories include

reading comprehension Reading comprehension is the ability to process text, understand its meaning, and to integrate with what the reader already knows. Fundamental skills required in efficient reading comprehension are knowing meaning of words, ability to understand ...

skills as well as interpreting and analysis fiction and nonfiction texts. Science reporting categories include the nature of science,

biological sciences Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

physical sciences Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences". Definition Phy ...

, and

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's sur ...

and

space science Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually conside ...

s. On July 1, 2010, the State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, which will replace the Mathematics standards adopted in 1999. In July 2010, the Board also adopted the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts, which will replace the Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening standards adopted in 1999. The regulations providing for these new academic content standards took effect upon their publication in the October 16, 2010 edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin. The transition to Common Core began during the 2010-11 school year, and it was fully implemented by July 1, 2013.Pennsylvania State Board of Education - State Academic Standards
/ref> *Common Core State Standards for Mathematic

*Common Core State Standards in English Language Art

References

External links

PA Dept. of Education
Education in Pennsylvania Standardized tests in the United States