All students are required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to take the Keystone Exams in the areas of Algebra, Literature, and Biology for federal accountability. These exams are end-of-course tests designed to measure proficiency on state standards in those three content areas.
Only students who are testing will attend school on their assigned day. Students will be notified by email which days they must report to school.
All other students not testing on a given day will work asynchronously from home on content from their regularly assigned classes.
Testing Dates and schedule
Coming Soon…
Procedures for Opting Out of Testing
Per PDE Section 4.4 of Title 22, Chapter 4, the Pennsylvania Department of Education only allows a student’s exclusion from taking the Keystone Exam if the Parent/Guardian has determined the Keystone Exam conflicts with their religious beliefs. Parents/Guardians have the right to submit a request for their student(s) to be excluded from testing by using the following procedures:
- Email or call Elizabeth Fondelier, Student Services Administrative Assistant, at efondelier@dcts.org or 717-652-3170 ext.7123 to schedule a review of the test(s) with Jen Spangler, Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Director, between 4/28/25 and 5/2/25.
- Write a letter or email requesting the student’s exclusion from testing. Letters or emails must arrive by 5/13/25 to exempt students from testing. (Additional information will be provided during the document review.)
- Write the letter or email to the attention of Mr. Jason Civitello, Administrative Director. The request for exclusion must include the student’s full name, grade level, and scheduled Keystone subject(s), and the reason the student will not participate in the Keystone Exam(s). Emails can be sent to efondelier@dcts.org.
- Include a parent/guardian signature, address, email address, and phone number.
Please Note:
The student who does not participate will still be required to meet one of PDE’s Pathways to Graduation. Students who do not take the Keystone Exam(s) will need to meet all of the requirements of Pathways 3, 4, or 5 to graduate since they will not be eligible for Pathways 1 or 2.
If you or your student have any other questions or concerns about the Keystone Exams, please contact Ms. Jen Spangler, Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Director, at jspangler@dcts.org or 717-652-3170 ext. 7107