Pathways to Graduation Guide
Guide to Meeting Statewide Requirements for High School Graduation
Through Act 158 of 2018 and Act 6 of 2017, students graduating from a Pennsylvania public high school in 2023 or later will have the flexibility to meet statewide high school graduation requirements through one of five pathways that fully illustrate their college, career, and community readiness.
This guide is designed to assist during school counselor consultations, leading staff, and secondary students through the various pathways as they consider which best exemplifies each student’s interests and goals. Prior to use, counselors should amend the guide to reflect only those options available to their students; for example, some schools do not offer an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. Counselors may also adapt the guide to include local policies, which are not limited to the statewide requirement and also govern graduation.
At the end of this guide is a sample student checklist to facilitate discussion and serve as a visual prompt for coursework selection or participation in opportunities such as internships or service learning projects as students pursue one or more pathways to graduation. For additional information on evidence requirements and other sample student forms, refer to the Act 158 Toolkit.
Keystone Proficiency and Keystone Composite Pathways
Keystone Proficiency remains a pathway to high school graduation for the graduating class of 2023 and beyond. Commonwealth students will not be required to pass the Keystone Exams (Algebra I, Literature, and Biology) in order to graduate; however, since most students will continue to participate in the Keystone Exams for federal accountability purposes, those achieving scores of Proficient or Advanced (a minimum scaled score of 1500 or higher) in each of the three Keystone Exams demonstrate Keystone Proficiency and meet statewide requirements for high school graduation.
Students achieving a minimum scaled score of less than 1500 on a Keystone Exam may meet statewide requirements under the new Keystone Composite Pathway provided:
- No score of Below Basic was earned for any Keystone Exam,
- A score of Proficient or Advanced was achieved on at least one Keystone Exam, and
- The composite score for all three Keystone Exams is 4452 or greater.
If students do not have three Keystone Exam scores or do not meet the requirements for either Keystone Pathway, they may opt to retake one or more Keystone Exams or may elect to meet statewide graduation requirements under the Career & Technical Education (CTE) Concentrator Pathway, Alternative Assessment Pathway, or Evidence-Based Pathway.
CTE Concentrator, Alternative Assessment, and Evidence-Based Pathways
Locally Established Grade-Based Requirements
For the CTE Concentrator, Alternative Assessment, and Evidence-Based Pathways, each student must meet locally established grade-based requirements for academic content associated with every Keystone Exam on which the student earned a score of Basic or Below Basic.
By way of example, a student who only demonstrated Proficiency or better in the Keystone Literature Exam would need to meet locally established grade-based requirements for academic content associated with both Algebra I and Biology (e.g., the student may be required to pass both the Algebra I and the Biology courses). Note: Although schools may offer Project-Based Assessments (PBA) as grade-based options, they may not require students to participate in PBAs.
Pathway Evidence
In addition to meeting the aforementioned grade-based requirements, the student must provide pathway-related evidence demonstrating preparedness for postsecondary success.
To meet evidentiary requirements under the Career & Technical Education (CTE) Concentrator Pathway, a student must attain an Industry-Based Competency Certification related to the program of study or demonstrate either 1) readiness for continued meaningful engagement in the program of study or 2) a high likelihood of success on an approved industry-based assessment.
For evidence required under the Alternative Assessment and Evidence-Based Pathways, please refer to the chart on the following page.
Note: Although the Alternative Assessment Pathway requires only one piece of evidence, students earning scores of Basic or Below Basic on two or more Keystone Exams may need to fulfill multiple conditions in order to meet the pathway requirement for that piece of evidence.
By way of example, a student who only demonstrated Proficiency or better in the Keystone Literature Exam would need to 1) meet locally established grade-based requirements for academic content associated with both Algebra I and Biology and 2) satisfy one of the following pathway requirements:
- Achieve a score of 3 or higher on two AP exams (on academic content associated with Algebra I and Biology respectively) OR
- Achieve a score of 4 or higher on two IB exams (on academic content associated with Algebra I and Biology respectively) OR
- Successfully complete for two concurrent enrollment courses (on academic content associated with Algebra I and Biology respectively) OR
- Achieve an established score on one approved alternative assessment (including ACT WorkKeys NCRC), or
- Successfully complete one pre-apprenticeship program OR
- Gain acceptance into one 4-yr IHE and demonstrate the ability to enroll in college-level work.
Conversely, the Evidence-Based Pathway requires three pieces of evidence that reflect readiness for meaningful postsecondary engagement consistent with the student’s goals and career plan – though no evidence under this pathway requires the fulfillment of multiple conditions associated with Keystone academic content (e.g., a score of 3 or higher on any AP Exam meets the criterion for one piece of evidence). However, as in Alternative Assessment and CTE Concentrator Pathways, students pursuing the Evidence-Based Pathway must meet locally established grade-based requirements for academic content associated with every Keystone Exam on which the student was less than proficient in addition to meeting evidentiary requirements for that pathway.