Columbia Borough School District issued the following announcement.
Columbia High School Parents/Guardians,
Columbia High School will be administering the Keystone exams during the winter testing window that runs through January 31, 2021. Keystone Exams will be given on the following dates:
• English Language Arts - January 12th
• Algebra - January 13th
• Biology - January 14th
If your student will be taking any of the Keystone tests you will receive a letter stating which tests by the end of the month.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has provided guidance to public school districts for the implementation of Keystone examinations. The exams are designed to operate as end-of-course assessments in designated subject areas and strengthen the value and significance of a high school diploma in schools across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Keystone Exams will impact our Columbia High School students as follows:
• All high school students enrolled in Honors Algebra I, Algebra IB, Algebra II (students who did not score proficient or advanced on Algebra Keystone), English 10, American Literature ( students who did not score proficient or advanced on Literature Keystone), Biology, and Ecology (students who did not score proficient or advanced on Biology Keystone) are required to take the Algebra I, Literature and/or Biology Keystone Exam(s).
• Any student receiving a score of proficient or advanced will meet this graduation requirement.
• Any student receiving a score of basic or below basic on their first attempt will receive remediation and have an opportunity to retest. Remediation may mean a change in a student's schedule for next year. Parents will be informed in the Summer if a change in a schedule is necessary.
• According to Act 158-Students who do not score proficient or advanced on the re-test must complete one of the following:
o Class of2021-Score proficient or advanced on Columbia's Benchmark assessment in reading and math
o Class of2022 and beyond-Complete one of the Alternate Assessment Pathways outlined by the state in Act 158.
We will run a virtual asynchronous school day for all high school 9th -12th-grade students not testing on January 12th-14th. Students not testing should stay home and complete assignments posted in Google Classroom and Schoology.
Students testing each day should report to the high school by 8:00 AM and proceed directly to their testing location. Testing will conclude by 2:27 PM each day. If a student needs extra time, extra time will be provided.
In order to allow teachers time to plan for three days of asynchronous instruction, we will be running a Wednesday schedule on Monday, January 11th. Students will work from home and the instructional day will finish at I:00 PM.
Once students start testing, they may not leave for an appointment and resume testing when they return. Please avoid making appointments during these testing dates and times if your student will be testing.
If you have any questions, please call the high school office or your student's school counselor at 717-684-7500.
Sincerely,
Robert Kedney
Interim Principal
Original source can be found here.
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