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New PA Science Standards

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The Future of the Science Assessment

January 2023

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Multidimensional New Standards

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Pennsylvania’s New Science Standards

The new standards include new knowledge and skills that are not currently assessed

Environmental Literacy and Sustainability
Technology and engineering for PSSA
No Nature of Science

The overall rigor and demands of the new standards is greater than that of the current standards in CDT, PSSA and Keystone

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1/5/2023

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Number of New Standards (Performance Expectations)

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Domain	Grades 3-5	Grades 6-8	High School	Current Keystone Bio
Technology & Engineering	34	37	NA	Module A	16
Environmental Literacy & Sustainability	7	9	9	Module B	22
Life Science	12	21	24	Total	38
Physical Science	18	19	NA
Earth & Space Science	14	15	NA

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PSSA Science

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1/5/2023

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PSSA Test Designs and Blueprints

There will be four reporting categories. Life science is combined with Environmental Literacy.
Items will be aligned to a single standard/performance expectation.
Each reporting category will be approximately 25% points of the total assessment for each grade regardless of the number of assessable standards (performance expectations).
The score report will not provide subscores for individual practices and crosscutting concepts.

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Reporting Category	Grade 5		Grade 8
Reporting Category	Num. of EC	Approximate Distribution	Num. of EC	Approximate Distribution
Life Science and Envr. Lit	19	25%	30	25%
Physical Science	18	25%	19	25%
Earth & Space Science	14	25%	15	25%
Tech & Eng.	34	25%	37	25%
Total	85	100%	101	100%

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PSSA Test Designs and Blueprints

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Grade 5 PSSA Science will replace the Grade 4 assessment.
Testing time will be similar to the current assessments.

Items/scenarios will be multidimensional.
No technology-enhanced items will be assessed.
Three 3-point constructed-response items per grade level.

Scenario based items may be included.
All forms available as paper-pencil tests and online.
Over time, all assessable standards will be assessed.

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Table 1A: Path to 2026 Operational PSSA Assessments

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2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
Items Developed¹	Items Developed	Items Developed	Items Developed	Items Developed
FT	FT²	FT³	FT⁴	FT
OP	OP²	OP	Waiver	OP
¹write or select items that are aligned to both old and new standards
²reduced number of Field Test forms in 2023
³Item Pilot and potential Cog Lab
⁴Stand-alone Field Test with waiver
Old standards
New standards
Cross-aligned Items

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Keystone Biology

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1/5/2023

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Keystone Reporting

Keystone will not assess the Technology & Engineering standards
To maintain the current reporting model the 33 new standards will be distributed across two modules

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New Keystone Domains	High School	Current Keystone Biology
Environmental Literacy and Sustainability	9	Module 1	16
Life Science	24	Module 2	22
Total	33	Total	38

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Table 1B: Path to 2026 Operational Keystone Assessments

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	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
	Items Developed¹	Items Developed	Items Developed	Items Developed	Items Developed
	FT	FT²	FT³	FT⁴	FT
Spring	OP	OP²	OP	OP^{4, 5}	OP
Summer	OP	OP	OP	OP⁵	OP
Winter	OP	OP	OP	OP⁵	OP

	¹write or select items that are aligned to both old and new standards
	²reduced number of Field Test forms in 2023
	³Item Pilot and potential Cog Lab
	⁴potentially increase the number of Field Test forms
	⁵From 2023 Assessments
	Old standards
	New standards
	Cross-aligned Items

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CDT

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Transitioning the CDT

CDT will continue to be available for science.
The test engine will be aligned to the new science standards in 2024.
CDT will present items aligned to the new science standards two years before high stakes tests assess students on the new standards.

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Table 1C: Path to Operational CDT Assessments �(based on current development)

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2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
100 Items Developed¹	100 Items Developed¹	365 Items Developed	Future Development	Future Development
Fall FT	Fall FT	Fall FT
OP²	OP²	OP³	OP³	OP³
	Item Bank Realignment

¹write items that are aligned to both old and new standards
²Engine Reports to old standards
³Engine Reports to new standards
Old standards
New standards
Cross-aligned Items

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Table 1A: Path to 2026 Operational PSSA Assessments

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2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
Items Developed¹	Items Developed	Items Developed	Items Developed	Items Developed
FT	FT²	FT³	FT⁴	FT
OP	OP²	OP	Waiver	OP
¹write or select items that are aligned to both old and new standards
²reduced number of Field Test forms in 2023
³Item Pilot and potential Cog Lab
⁴Stand-alone Field Test with waiver
Old standards
New standards
Cross-aligned Items