On Thursday, June 14, 2018, the PA Senate Education Committee amended and approved Senate Bill 1095, which provides multiple options for students to demonstrate readiness for high school graduation. The bill also eliminates the existing requirement for project-based assessments.

In particular, SB 1095 revises the current requirement that calls for students to pass the Keystone Exams in Literature, Algebra I and Biology in order to graduate. Instead, measures of success are aligned to a student’s career goals and reflect the coursework and achievements earned. Under the bill, pathways would include meeting local grade-based requirements and demonstrating competency through the completion of one of four options. One option is achieving an established composite score based on performance on all three Keystone Exams. A second option is achieving established equivalent scores on a variety of alternate assessments, achieving acceptance in a registered apprenticeship program after graduation, achieving admission to higher education, or achieving success in dual enrollment/postsecondary courses. A third option is demonstrating competency through evidence specific to career and technical education (CTE) for students who are CTE concentrators. A fourth option is to present rigorous and compelling pieces of objective evidence relating to a student’s career, military, or postsecondary plans that reflect readiness for graduation and which have been approved for use by the PA Board of Education.