Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) today released the results of the 2024-25 administration of state assessments, including the Pennsylvania System for School Assessment (PSSA), Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA), Pennsylvania Keystone Exams, and Access for English Language Learners.
“Assessments give educators information they need to understand student progress and to direct support where it is needed most,” said Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe. “This year, the data shows that Pennsylvania’s targeted investments in education have resulted in more students attending school regularly, graduating on time, and leaving school equipped with the skills to choose a good career and chart their own course in life. While we see progress, we are focused on raising these scores by working closely with Pennsylvania school districts to ensure teachers have access to the best possible training and professional development, increasing support for structured literacy in our classrooms, raising awareness of the effectiveness of the PA Firefly benchmarking tool, and examining whether or not Pennsylvania’s current state standards – some of which have not been updated in more than a decade – still align with the skills and knowledge students really need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
PSSA proficiency rates in Math increased for the second consecutive year from 40.2 percent to 41.7 percent. PSSA proficiency rates in English Language Arts decreased from 53.9 percent to 49.9 percent. Due to the adoption of updated Science standards adopted in Pennsylvania, assessment scores in Science were waived, and only participation rates were reported.
Keystone Algebra proficiency rates increased from 41.6 percent to 44.3 percent over the past year. Both Keystone Literature and Biology assessments saw a 1.1 percent decrease, from 63.2 percent to 62.1 percent and 50.5 percent to 49.4 percent, respectively.
English learner growth and attainment increased from 31.7 percent in 2023-24 to 32.4 percent in 2024-25, the largest improvement historically seen in Pennsylvania.
PDE also released today the 2024-25 metrics from the Future Ready PA Index, a collection of school progress measures related to school and student success. The Index includes a range of assessment, on-track, and readiness indicators, to more accurately report student learning, growth, and success in the classroom and beyond.
Highlights include: four-year graduation rates increased from 87.6 percent in 2023-24 to 88.0 percent in 2024-25, the third consecutive year of increase; regular attendance increased to 79.6 percent, the second consecutive year of increase, despite regular attendance rates decreasing nationally since 2023; and the Career Standards Benchmark remained stable at 91.3 percent.
Data showed that schools that administered PA Firefly or Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDT) at least once prior to online testing had an average overall proficiency 5.5% higher than schools that did not. Created as part of the Shapiro Administration’s efforts to help teachers spend less time testing and more time teaching, PA Firefly is a free, fully online benchmark tool teachers can use to help assess how well students are mastering material that will be tested on state assessments before the end of the school year. PA Firefly is the only benchmark tool aligned to Pennsylvania standards.
PSSAs are administered in grades 3-8 for English Language Arts and Mathematics, as well as grades 5 and 8 for Science & Technology. PASAs are alternate exams for qualifying students with Individualized Education Plans (IEP). Keystones are end-of-course exams in Algebra I, Literature, and Biology. Access for English Language Learners is a summative English language proficiency assessment taken annually by K-12 English learners.