The Keystone Algebra Exam will be administered to all 9th, 10th & 11th grade students who did not demonstrate proficiency on the 2012-2013 Keystone Algebra Exam on Tuesday, January 14, 2014. This assessment measures student achievement in Operations and Linear Equations/Inequations, Linear Functions and Data Organization. Students will be presented with multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Some questions will also require students to create graphs, plots, or drawings.
The Keystone Literature Exam will be administered to all 11th grade students who did not demonstrate proficiency on the 2012-2013 Literature Keystone Exam on Wednesday, January 15, 2014. Students will respond to both multiple choice and open-ended tasks in these tests. These assessments are intended to evaluate performances of individual students and to provide comparative data about the school’s reading and literature programs.
The Keystone Biology Exam will be administered to all 10th and 11th grade students who did not demonstrate proficiency on the 2012-2013 Biology Keystone Exam school on Thursday, January 16, 2014. The biology assessment will address the concepts of Cells, Cell Processes, and Continuity and Unity of Life. Students will respond to both multiple-choice and open-ended questions. These Keystone Exam questions will ask students to explain, analyze, describe, or compare in their answers.
A copy of the individual student results will be sent to the school district for distribution to parents, teachers, guidance counselors and principals. The state will not receive any reports with individual names included. Results will be reported by school for curricular and planning purposes. School districts will publish the results of Keystone Exam testing for each school. The state will also release school-by-school assessment data.
Parents who do not want their child to respond to a specific prompt or to participate in the assessment due to a conflict with their religious beliefs must first review the tests by contacting the High School Guidance Office on or after January 2, 2014. Confidentiality agreements must be signed and no copies of the Keystone Exams or notes about exam questions will be permitted to leave the school. Parents must then write a note to the School District Superintendent, Mr. Steve Gobble, to excuse their child from the assessment.