Act 158 Pathways

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Pennsylvania

Act 158/ Keystone pathways

Pathway 5: Notes

Pathway 4: Alternate Assessment

Pathway 3: Career Tech

Pathway 5:Evidence-Based

Pathway 1: Keystone Scores

Pathway 2: Composite Scores

Alternate Pathway Eligibility

index

Students who take all 3 Keystone exams and earn a 1500 on each (or higher) fulfill pathway 1.

pathway 1 - keystone proficiency

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Students meet Pathway 2 if they have taken all 3 Keystone exams and have an overall score of 4452 or higher and:

• Earned a Proficient (1500) or higher on at least 1 exam AND
• Have no scores at Below Basic

pathway 2 - composite score

In order to be eligible for any of the other pathways (3-5), students MUST pass the following courses:

• Algebra 1
• English 10
• Biology

alternate pathway eligibility

Students attending a local Career/Technology Education (CTE) center (i.e. career tech, vo-tech) have the option of working toward pathway 3 by completing one of the options below:

• Attainment of an industry-based competency certification related to the CTE Concentrator’s program of study (Final NOCTI in 12th grade)
• Demonstration of a high likelihood of success on an approved industry-based competency assessment (benchmark assessments, course grades)
• Readiness for continued meaningful engagement in the CTE Concentrator’s program of study (successful performance on benchmark assessments, course grades, setting students up to go on for further education in field if desired)

*CTE administration may outline the specific assessments/benchmarks needed to meet the 2nd and 3rd options.*This pathway is exclusively for students attending their local CTE center, through a pre-approved partnership with our Career Readiness Team.

Pathway 3 - CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE) CONCENTRATOR

Pathway 4 allows students to meet just one of the below requirements to fulfill the pathway:

• Minimum SAT score of 1010
• Minimum PSAT score of 970
• Minimum ACT score of 21
• Minimum ASVAB score of 31
• For each Keystone that wasn’t proficient, you scored at least a 3 on the AP exam in a related area. Approved AP exams click here
• For each Keystone that wasn’t proficient, you successfully passed a dual enrollment course in that academic area (For example, if you earned Proficient in Biology and Algebra 1, but Basic in Literature, you could get the minimum score on the AP Literature or AP Language exam, or take a dual enrollment English class and pass it)

pathway 4 - alternate assessment

Additional options to fulfill pathway 4:

• Complete a Pre-Apprenticeship program
• Accepted into a 4-year college (with acceptance letter)
• Acceptance letter must show that your acceptance is not conditional upon passing a summer bridge program, and must also show your full name and intended major. This cannot be used for students who were accepted as “undeclared” or “undecided” major. Accredited, not-for-profit schools only.
• Scored at least Gold Level on WorkKeys Assessment (the section with the lowest score is the score you will receive for the overall exam)

pathway 4 - alternate assessment (Continued)

Students need a total of THREE pieces of evidence showing that they are college/career ready. At least one of the 3 pieces HAS to be from Tier 1 (maximum 2 pieces from Tier 2)

pathway 5 - evidence-based

Tier 1 options:

• Accepted into a college (other than a 4 year college, for example, a 2 year community college like HACC or HCC. Accredited, not-for-profit schools only)
• Scored at least a 3 on any AP exam
• Scored at least a 3 on any IB exam
• Scored at least a Silver Level on WorkKeys Assessment
• Passed any Dual Enrollment class (does not include remedial courses)
• Obtained an Industry Recognized Credential (IRC) from a pre-approved list

pathway 5 - evidence-based, tier 1

Tier 2 options:

• Have a letter guaranteeing you full-time employment after graduation
• Meet the requirements for compliance with NCAA Division 2 (even if you aren’t planning to play a sport/go to college)
• Completed a 10-hour community service project and turned in required paperwork
• Scored proficient on at least one Keystone exam
• Have a certificate of completion for an internship or co-op program

pathway 5 - evidence-based, tier 2

Students CAN earn all 3 pieces of evidence from Tier 1. The following artifacts can be used for up to 3 pieces of evidence:

• Industry Recognized Credential
• Passing dual enrollment course(s)

• Scoring a 3 or higher on AP exam(s)

pathway 5 - evidence-based: notes

Each of the following may be satisfied only once:

• WorkKeys score (tier 1)
• College acceptance letter (tier 1)
• Satisfactory compliance with NCAA requirements and minimum GPA (tier 2)
• Guarantee of full-time employment (tier 2)

pathway 5 - evidence-based: notes cont.

Do you need ideas on how to earn Industry Recognized Credentials? Here are a few:

• Ladder safety training
• ServSafe training (if you work in a restaurant)
• Fire/EMS trainings (if you volunteer at a firehouse)
• OSHA trainings (if you work in construction)
• EverFi (your school counselor or homeroom teacher can send you instructions!)
• Already have a job? Many on-the-job trainings can count too if you earn a certificate for it!

pathway 5 - evidence-based: notes cont.

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PDE Act 158 Toolkit

Destination: Graduation

Approved AP Exams

Scoring at least a 3 or higher on one of these AP exams can replace the Keystone test listed at the top of the column.

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