Should you desire to opt your child out of testing for religious reasons, please consider the following.
• The state of Pennsylvania requires additional criteria for graduation, the Act 158 graduation pathways. One method students can use to meet these criteria is a score of proficient or advanced on all three Keystone assessments. Opting out of Keystone assessments removes this option. For more information, visit
Statewide High School Graduation Requirement (pa.gov).
• When your child does not participate in testing, we struggle to get an accurate assessment of our programs.
• The students will only be taking one section of the test each day. Students that opt-out will be expected to come to school and will be assigned alternate work.
• Participating in Keystone Exams prepares students for future high stakes tests such as the SAT and professional testing. Many future professions require high stakes testing such as healthcare, law, business, and education.
Parents who wish to opt-out their child from Keystone testing for religious reasons must do the following:
• Send a request for religious exemption to the
building principal and the Superintendent no later than TBD.
• Contact your child’s principal to review the test (reviews will be scheduled once tests arrive at the buildings)
• The principal will schedule an appointment with you
• Review of the test must be in the presence of an administrator or designee
• You may not take photos or record the test in any way
• You must sign the security certificate