Changing Requirements in Pennsylvania for High School Graduation - A Policy Brief on Pennsylvania Act 158 - August 2022

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Sarah

Beginning with the Class of 2023, Pennsylvania high school graduation requires demonstration of career or postsecondary preparedness in addition to existing statewide requirements. Act 158 of 2018 establishes five pathways combining Keystone Exam outcomes with alternative methods for students who meet course-grade expectations. The brief explains each pathway, summarizes Act 158’s development and policy delays, and reviews prior research focused on Keystone proficiency and its equity implications, then frames forthcoming research for the Philadelphia Education Research Consortium.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Five pathways under Act 158

Keystone Proficiency

Keystone Composite

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Concentrator

Alternative Assessment

Evidence-Based

History of Act 158

Previous research on the graduation policy

Changing Requirements in Pennsylvania for High School Graduation A Policy Brief on Pennsylvania Act 158 AUGUST 2022 Introduction Beginning with the class of 2023, graduating Pennsylvania high school students will need to demonstrate career or postsecondary preparedness in addition to meeting existing statewide graduation requirements. Act 158 of 2018 outlines five pathways to meeting this requirement, including two that rely exclusively on Keystone Exam performance and three pathways that allow for alternative demonstration of college or career readiness. i This significant policy shift likely has implications for all Pennsylvania school districts, includingthe School District of Philadelphia (SDP) . Over the next three years, the Philadelphia Education Research Consortium will be conducting research focused on this policy to understand its implications for SDP. PERC is a research partnership between SDP’s Office of Research and Evaluation and Research for Action, funded by the William Penn Foundation. In this policy brief, PERC: (1) outlines Act 158 and the new graduation requirements, (2) describes the evolution of the policy, (3) summarizes the previous research conducted on highstakes graduation requirements in PA, and (4) highlights equity concerns that previous research has raised. What are the five pathways a student can take to meet the new graduation requirements under Act 158? All pathways to graduation under Act 158 require successful completion of locally established grade-based requirements for academic content areas associated with each Keystone Exam. Additional requirements vary by pathway. Two pathways provide a route to graduation determined by performance on end-of-course Keystone exams. The remaining three pathways involve "alternative" routes to graduation for students who have achieved course grade requirements but have not demonstrated proficiency on Keystone exams. Pennsylvania Department of Education has prepared a toolkit to aid districts, youth-serving organizations, and families in understanding and preparing for the requirements, beginning with the Class of 2023. While the specific requirements associated with each pathway can be found on the PDE website, a high-level summary of each graduation pathway is outlined below: ● Keystone Proficiency: Scoring proficient or advanced on each end-of-course Keystone Exam: Biology, Algebra I, and Literature. ii ● Keystone Composite: Earning a composite score of 4452 on all three Keystone Exams (while obtaining a proficient score on at least one of the three exams and no less than a basic score on the remaining two) . ● Career and Technical Education (CTE) Concentrator: Attaining an industry-based competency certification related to the student’s program of study or a demonstration of readiness for continued success or engagement in a CTE program of study. ● Alternative Assessment: Attaining approved alternative qualifications (e.g., ACT/SAT achievement, AP/IB exams, or acceptance and ability to enroll in a 4-year college/university) . ● Evidence-Based: Demonstration of evidence consistent with the student’s goals and career plans (e.g., completion of an internship, externship, or cooperative education program; attainment of an industry-recognized credential, acceptance to a 4-year college/university, and/or letter guaranteeing full-time employment) . What is the history of Act 158? Act 158 is the product of a long-standing debate surrounding Keystones and graduation, which can be traced to a report published in 2006 by the Governor's Commission on College and Career Success.iii The report communicated a strong desire to leverage standardized tests to seta statewide standard for the skills needed to succeed in a 21st-century economy. When Keystone exams were first administered in 2012-13, the Pennsylvania Legislature had a goal that, by 2017, a “proficient” score on all three end-of-course Keystone exams would be required for gr

FAQs

What new requirement applies to Pennsylvania high school graduates starting with the Class of 2023?

Graduates must demonstrate career or postsecondary preparedness in addition to existing statewide graduation requirements.

What are the five pathways under Act 158 for meeting the new graduation requirement?

The pathways are Keystone Proficiency, Keystone Composite, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Concentrator, Alternative Assessment, and Evidence-Based.

Why was Act 158 delayed in its implementation?

Delays were largely due to concerns and criticisms about equity implications and potential loopholes in a graduation requirement tied to Keystone performance.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Sarah