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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

Pennsylvania runs its K-12 on its own set of standards rather than adopting national frameworks wholesale. PA Core grew out of the Common Core but was rewritten to fit the state, and it has anchored reading and math classrooms since 2014. Science is the newer story. The state adopted STEELS in 2022, which treats science as something students do at the lab bench rather than something they memorize from a textbook.

  • PA Core: ELA
  • PA Core: Math
  • PA STEELS
  • PA Standards: Social Studies
Source: Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Core Standards
The shape of K-12
A plain-language read of how the state runs school.
What students learn
Reading and math follow PA Core from kindergarten through high school, with math opening into Algebra, Geometry, and the courses that follow in middle and high school. Science under STEELS asks students to investigate questions, build models, and explain what they find, in roughly the spirit of the Next Generation Science Standards. Social studies still runs on the 2002 framework, covering civics, history, geography, and economics across the grades.
How students are measured
The spring brings the PSSA in grades 3 through 8 for reading and math, plus a science PSSA in grades 4 and 8. High school works differently. Students sit the Keystone exams at the end of Algebra I, Biology, and Literature, usually somewhere between eighth and eleventh grade, and the Algebra I and Literature results feed into one of the graduation pathways under Act 158. A sample of fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders also takes NAEP every other winter.
Frameworks adopted, by subject
The standards documents the state writes against in each subject.
Subject Framework Adopted Source
Mathematics
Pennsylvania Core Standards
2014View
English Language Arts
Pennsylvania Core Standards
2014View
Science
Pennsylvania Core Standards
2022View
Social Studies
Pennsylvania Core Standards
2002View
Assessments
The tests students take across K-12, grouped by purpose.

Other

Tests that do not fit the buckets above.

State Summative

PSSA ELA (Grades 3-8)

PSSA ELA is the spring summative test in reading and writing for grades 3 through 8. Students answer multiple-choice and constructed-response items aligned to PA Core ELA.

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
State Summative

PSSA Mathematics (Grades 3-8)

PSSA Mathematics is the spring summative math test for grades 3 through 8, aligned to PA Core Math.

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
State Summative

PSSA Science (Grade 4)

PSSA Science is the grade 4 spring science test, aligned to PA Standards (transitioning to STEELS).

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
State Summative

PSSA Science (Grade 8)

PSSA Science is the grade 8 spring science test, aligned to PA Standards (transitioning to STEELS).

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
State Summative

Keystone Algebra I

End-of-course exam in Algebra I, typically grade 8 or 9. Required for graduation under Act 158 pathways.

When given:
end-of-course
Frequency:
by course completion
Official source
State Summative

Keystone Biology

End-of-course exam in Biology, typically grade 9 or 10.

When given:
end-of-course
Frequency:
by course completion
Official source
State Summative

Keystone Literature

End-of-course exam in Literature, typically grade 10 or 11.

When given:
end-of-course
Frequency:
by course completion
Official source
National Monitoring

NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)

Federally administered sample-based assessment in reading, mathematics, science, and writing. NAEP results inform state-by-state comparisons rather than individual student or school accountability.

When given:
biennial in winter
Frequency:
every two years
Official source
Browse by grade and subject
Pick a cell to see exactly what students learn that year.
Subjects covered
4
Grade levels
13
Standards on file
641
Assessments tracked
8
Most recent adoption
2022
Common questions
  • What's the spring test in Pennsylvania?

    Students in grades 3 through 8 take the PSSA each spring in reading and math. Grades 4 and 8 also take a science PSSA. The tests mix multiple-choice questions with longer written answers.

  • Are the Keystone Exams required to graduate?

    The Keystone Exams in Algebra I, Biology, and Literature are end-of-course tests students usually take in high school. Under Act 158, passing them is one of several pathways students can use to meet the graduation requirement.

  • Does Pennsylvania use Common Core?

    The math and English standards are PA Core, a state-adapted version of the Common Core adopted in 2014. Science moved to the STEELS standards in 2022, which are based on the Next Generation Science Standards. Social studies still uses the 2002 state standards.

  • How often do the standards change?

    Standards are reviewed by the State Board of Education and don't change on a fixed schedule. Math and English have been steady since 2014. Science was updated in 2022, and social studies has been in place since 2002.

  • Where can a parent see what students learn each year?

    The grade-level and course pages on this site list the standards by subject. Pick a grade and a subject to see what students are expected to know and do that year.

Sources
Every page link goes back to the state's own document.

Frameworks

Assessments