The Keystone exams are end-of-year standardized state assessments typically administered to Pennsylvania students in grades 8-11 as they near completion of the associated English, Algebra, or Biology course. This brief describes annual Keystone exam performance trends between the 2018-19 (pre-Covid) and 2022-23 school years.
Each year, SDP and its partner organizations offer a variety of summer programs to ensure that students, especially those most vulnerable to experiencing summer learning loss, have the opportunity to continue learning during the summer months. This report provides a summary of the 2023 summer programs, including information about enrollment and attendance, and findings from surveys and observations.
This brief complements the 2021-22 four-year graduation brief by presenting the 2021-22 outcomes for students at District and Alternative schools who did not graduate from high school in four years.
The Senior Exit Survey is administered annually each spring by the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE). In 2021-22, ORE received responses from 6,075 seniors at 75 District high schools, representing 66% of enrolled 12th grade students.
This brief describes the District-wide tests administered at the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) during the 2021-22 school year and provides details about student participation.
As one of the primary measures of students’ college and career readiness, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) closely monitors graduation rates each year. This brief explores graduation rates across public schools in the city of Philadelphia in 2021-22, comparing trends for District, Alternative, and Charter schools.
In the 2021-22 school year, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) created a fully virtual Quarantine School for SDP students who needed to quarantine at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This report summarizes 2021-22 Quarantine School attendance, describes what took place in the Quarantine School virtual classrooms, and examines feedback from students, parents, and teachers about their experiences with Quarantine School.
The School District of Philadelphia’s Board of Education’s Goal 4 is focused on improving the reading and math performance of grades 9-11 students on the Keystones. To track progress toward the Goal, the District examines the performance of students on “Leading Indicators,” the within-year assessments of reading and math skills administered multiple times between the annual Keystone exams. This report examines the statistical relationship of Winter and Spring Star performance and Keystone performance in 2021-22.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) provides grant funding to eight regions in Pennsylvania to serve students experiencing homelessness through the Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program. This brief provides information about progress toward the goals of the ECYEH grant program and priorities of SDP staff.
This brief explores 2022-23 Philadelphia public school enrollment patterns at District, Alternative, Philadelphia Charter, and Cyber Charter schools, including by school admission type and student demographics, as well as changes in those patterns since 2014-15.