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Perkiomen Valley outlines training and protocols as PSSA and Keystone exams move fully online
Summary
District administrators described a multi-week plan of teacher training and student practice to prepare for the statewide shift to online PSSA and Keystone testing; board members raised logistics concerns about device power, internet outages and whether pre-submission audits of anomalous item results are possible.
Perkiomen Valley School District administrators said the district will expand staff training and student practice activities to prepare for the statewide transition to fully online Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and Keystone exams.
Dr. Clune (district administrator) and other staff outlined a plan to teach students the portal tools they will use for online assessments — for example, highlighter, equation builder and on-screen calculators — and to give students repeated practice with sample items. The district plans grade-specific preparations for students in grades 3–8 and subject-specific preparations for high-school courses that carry Keystones: literature, biology and Algebra I.
Staff noted professional-development resources from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), including grade-specific mathematics Keystone training. Administrators said the district will distribute short instructional videos and practice items during March and April and will offer turnkey training for staff who attended PDE sessions.
Board members raised implementation concerns. Mister Sailor and others asked whether there will be an audit layer to identify questions that unusually large numbers of students miss, which could indicate presentation or interface issues rather than student misunderstanding. Staff said PDE provides released items and practice tests and that proctoring protocols will require proctors to check a student’s final page (which highlights unanswered items) before the student submits; proctors will not see students’ individual answers but can confirm whether items remain unanswered.
Board members also asked about logistics: battery life for Chromebooks, on-site power availability, internet outages, and whether existing memoranda/protocols with the teachers’ union need updating given the reduced physical test handling required for online delivery. Staff said some accommodations remain — paper-and-pencil remains available where specified in a student’s IEP — and that a district protocol used previously will be revisited and summarized in a memo. Staff also noted that the state expects all districts to administer PSSA and Keystone online next year.
No formal policy change or board vote occurred at the meeting. Staff said they will revisit and update building-level protocols, circulate a summary memo about responsibilities and continue preparing teachers and students with practice items and PD.
