From January 14-17th, students at Southern Lehigh sat through the Keystone Exams, a newly created assessment which will become a graduation requirement in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Many students were concerned with the exams, now that they are included in state graduation requirements and affect students directly. However, after taking the exams, they felt they were well prepared.
“I only took the Algebra I Keystone, but felt it was easy,” freshman Jaquelyn Hall-Yurasits said.
The switch from PSSAs to Keystone Exams has been treated with mixed responses. Many students feel that the change was ineffectual while others consider it justifiable, given the differences between Keystone Exams and PSSAs.
“They’re more in complex than the PSSAs. [The Keystones] prepare us more,” sophomore Billy Flynn said.
In order for Southern Lehigh to be on track for meeting the 2014 proficiency goal set by No Child Left Behind, the school must meet the requirements of 81% proficient or advanced in the Literature exam and 89% in the Algebra I exam. Recognizing the important impact that these exams have on the school, students took the tests very seriously.
“I am proud of how everyone handled the three days of testing,” principal Mrs. Christine Siegfried said, “and feel confident that we did a great job with the whole process.”
