Keystone Testing
B-A sophs are in the midst of major assessment run
Bellwod-Antis sophomores begin their final day of Keystone testing Wednesday.
May 17, 2016
As the end of the school year draws near, sophomores still have one more road block standing between them and summer vacation.
Keystone testing.
These tests began Monday and will run through to tomorrow.
Comprised of three sections, Biology, Literature, and Algebra, the Keystones are a required standardized test for 10th grade students in the state of Pennsylvania.
Principal Schreier shed some light on the testing going on this week.
This is basically the final push so I think I can make it.
— Blake Johnston
“Monday will be Literature, Tuesday will be Biology, and Wednesday is Algebra,” he explained. “Each day we will break up the test into a morning and afternoon section.”
Although a majority of students who take this test are in 10th grade, a student is eligible to take them as soon as he or she has taken the trigger course.
“We teach Biology in 10th grade,” Schreier continued. “But Altoona teaches it in 9th grade, so their students can take it a year earlier.”
The Keystones can provide feedback on where students stand in terms of the Pennsylvania State Learning Standards. They also need to be passed in order for a student to graduate high school.
Many students are feeling the pressure of the tests, and Sophomore Ian McFarland is no exception.
“These are pretty difficult tests,” he said. “It makes it harder that they take such a long time.”
“Biology could be pretty tough,” classmate Braden Heisler added. “Hopefully everything goes well, though.”
Obviously, with the end of the school year approaching, it is tough for any student to stay focused. This is a main reason why the Keystones are such a challenging assessment.
“School is almost over so it’s pretty hard to focus right now,” Blake Jonhston said. “But this is basically the final push so I think I can make it.”
