Curriculum & Instruction
Curriculum Statement: East Pennsboro Area School District is committed to providing a rigorous and comprehensive K-12 curriculum based on the Pennsylvania Core and Academic Standards. Our curriculum serves to attain the goal of creating future-ready students through the development of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to be successful in the 21st Century.
Assessment Overview: East Pennsboro Area School District (EPASD) students participate in Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) testing and Keystone exams.
The PSSA helps us understand how students in our elementary and middle schools are performing relative to Pennsylvania’s academic standards in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science and Technology. Individual student scores can be used to provide additional educational opportunities for students in need, and school scores help our District improve its curriculum and instructional approaches.
The Keystone exams assess middle and high school student proficiency in core subject areas and are one component used to determine whether our students meet high school graduation requirements. Like the PSSA, the Keystone Exams will help our District improve its progress related to state standards.
PSSA Opt Out Information and Process
Please note that section 4.4 of Chapter 4 provides for the right of parents (or guardians) to excuse their children from the state assessment if upon inspection of the testing materials, they find the assessment to be in conflict with their religious beliefs. This is the only basis for a parental excusal from the statewide assessments.
The state assessments will be available for parents (or guardians) to review beginning two weeks prior to the administration of the test. The assessments must be reviewed at the school. Parents/guardians who desire to review the assessment forms will be asked to sign a prepared statement concerning the requirements of assessment security and confidentiality. They may not photocopy, write, or in any other manner record any portion of the assessment, including directions.
After reviewing the test(s), parents/guardians must provide a written request addressed to the superintendent for excusal based upon religious conflict. Submit the written request to the building principal. All steps in the opt out process must be completed in order for an opt out request to be accepted. No opt out requests will be accepted after 4/19/24.
