Philadelphia City Council’s education committee heard testimony Friday on the district’s efforts to comply with Act 158, which requires students to pass state Keystone exams in biology, algebra and literature to receive their diplomas.
Starting this school year, Pa. high school students will not only have to meet their school’s graduation requirements, but they’ll also have to pass the Keystone exams or complete an “alternative pathway” to graduation.
Those alternate pathways include submitting SAT test results, or, for career and technical students, achieving industry certifications.
These requirements were supposed to take effect two years ago but were delayed due to the pandemic.
An October 2022 report by the Philadelphia Education Research Consortium showed that, if the Keystones were required in 2018 and 2019, only 35% of Philadelphia School District students would have graduated on their scores alone.
Alyn Turner, head of the Consortium, said that nearly two in three students would have needed to pursue an alternative pathway, which is equivalent to about 5,000 students in each cohort.
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“The city needs a dual strategy to support students to graduate aimed at both improving the ability of schools to improve student Keystone performance, and ensuring the accessibility of alternative graduation pathways,” Turner added.
ShaVon Savage, the school district’s deputy superintendent for academics, said preparing seniors to meet the graduation standards is a work in progress.
Savage added that 42% of their high school seniors have already met one pathway within Act 158 and are also on track to meet their credit requirements.
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“We’re not even halfway through the school year at this point.”
“Our second quarter hasn’t ended. Making sure that the students that are in progress get to the finish line is important.”
Superintendent Tony Watlington said student graduation is at the center of everything they do and they want to significantly improve their 70% graduation rate.
Savage said the district has been training school staff to help students choose the best way to meet the new graduation standards.
The district is also holding an information session for parents Jan. 18, 2023.