Pathway 4: Alternative Assessment

The student must meet or exceed any one of the established scores for the following approved alternative assessments to meet state high school graduation requirements regardless of the number of Keystone Exams for which the student does not have a numeric or non-numeric score of Proficient or Advanced.

-ACT - composite score of 21

OR

-ASVAB [Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT)] - composite score of 31*

OR

-PSAT/NMSQT - total score of 970

OR

-SAT - total score of 1010

For example, a student who only demonstrated Proficiency or better in the Keystone Literature Exam would need to satisfy the following under this criterion:

1. Achieve local grade-based requirements in both the Algebra I and the Biology courses, and

2. Achieve the established score or higher on one of the above approved alternative assessments.

* A subset of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), the AFQT score determines basic qualification for enlistment and is comprised of Paragraph Comprehension, Word Knowledge, Mathematics Knowledge, and Arithmetic Reasoning. A student may participate in the ASVAB prior to senior year; however, the student’s AFQT score must meet or exceed the minimum score for admittance to a branch of the armed services during the year in which the student graduates.

The student must score a 3 or higher on an approved Advanced Placement (AP) Exam for each Keystone Exam content area in which the student does not have a numeric or non-numeric score of Proficient or Advanced.

For example, a student who scored Proficient in only the Keystone Literature Exam would need to satisfy the following under this criterion:

1. Meet local grade-based requirements for both Algebra I and Biology, and

2. Score a 3 or better on approved AP Exams for Algebra I and Biology aligned courses (speak with your student's School Counselor for releated AP Exams).

NOTE: AP Exams aligned to more than one content area may be attributed to only one Keystone Exam (e.g., a score of 3 or better on AP Chemistry may be attributed only to Algebra I or to Biology, not both).

The student must earn a passing grade on an LEA-approved concurrent enrollment course (as evidenced by a high school transcript or college transcript) for each Keystone Exam content area in which the student does not have a numeric or non-numeric score of Proficient or Advanced

For example, a student who scored Proficient in only the Keystone Literature Exam would need to satisfy the following under this criterion:

1. Meet local grade-based requirements for both Algebra 1 and Biology, and

2. Pass two LEA-approved concurrent enrollment courses, one aligned to Algebra I and one aligned to Biology (speak with your student's School Counselor for a list of LEA-approved courses).

The student must demonstrate acceptance into one 4-year program in an accredited non-profit institution of higher education to meet state high school graduation requirements regardless of the number of Keystone Exams in which the student does not have a numeric or non-numeric score of Proficient or Advanced

For example, a student who scored Proficient in only the Keystone Literature Exam would need to satisfy the following under this criterion:

1. Meet local-grade based requirements for both Algebra 1 and Biology, and

2. Show evidence of acceptance and the ability to enroll in college-level coursework, per below.

To demonstrate acceptance into an accredited 4-year non-profit institution of higher education, students must provide a letter of admittance confirming non-conditional acceptance into an explicit degree program or major.