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Graduation Requirements

Sun Valley graduation requirements are described in the course selection guide. In order to graduate and earn a diploma from Sun Valley High School, all students must meet the following requirements:

  • Successfully complete and earn credit for courses as detailed in the table below.
  • Students that do not demonstrate proficiency on the Algebra I, Biology, and Literature Keystone Exams may be scheduled into semester-long, 0.5 credit lab courses to recover content and retake the corresponding Keystone Exam(s).
  • Students must complete 8 Career Education and Work standards by May of their Junior year as mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. (Transfer students must complete a minimum of 2 per year).

Please note: Participation in the graduation ceremony is a privilege. 

Credits to Graduate

English

4.0

Social Studies

3.0

Mathematics

4.0

Science

3.0

Careers

0.5

Health and PE

1.5

Arts/Humanities/Electives

7.0

Total

23.0

PA ACT 158: State Testing That Impacts Graduation

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires all students to take Keystone Exams in Algebra, Biology, and Literature. Students who do not demonstrate proficiency on the Keystone Exams may be scheduled into semester-long 0.5 credit lab courses to recover content, master skills, and retake the corresponding exam(s). Passing the Keystone content exams with a Proficient or Advanced is the recommended pathway for Graduation based on Act 158 requirements that started with the 2022-23 school year. Alternate pathways are available.

Pathway 1: Keystone Proficiency

  • Pass all 3 Keystone exams (Algebra I, Biology, and Literature) with a 1500 or higher. This is the pathway Sun Valley High School recommends for all students.

     

Pathway 2: Keystone Composite Score

  • Earn a composite score of 4452 on all three Keystone exams:
    • Algebra I
    • Biology
    • Literature

OR:

  • A 2 Keystone composite score of 2939 or greater with at least 1 Keystone scale score being greater than 1500 and no keystone exam being below basic.  This is the alternate pathway that Sun Valley High School recommends.

Pathway 3: Alternative Assessment

  • Pass the Keystone course and earn a minimum score on an approved alternate assessment:
    • The student pursues advanced coursework and achieves one of the following scores: AP level course (3) or dual enrollment course (IB - 4).
    • The student pursues an alternative assessment and achieves one of the following scores: PSAT (970), SAT (1010), ACT (21), or ASVAB (minimum score for admittance to armed services).
    •  The student achieves acceptance to a four-year non-profit institution of higher education. Note: The PSAT, also known as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT), is taken in 11th grade and is one of the alternative assessments that would be accepted for pathway 3.
    • Earning a passing score as a 9th grade student on the PSAT 8/9 or as a 10th grade student on the PSAT 10 would not qualify the student to meet the pathway 3 requirement as these are not the PSAT.

Pathway 4: Career and Technical Education

  • The student earns a locally established grade on the course associated with each Keystone exam and satisfactorily completes one of the following:
    • The National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI).
    • The National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) assessment in an approved Career and Technical Education concentration.

Pathway 5: Evidence-Based (Three Pieces of Evidence)

  • The student earns a locally established grade on the course associated with each Keystone exam and demonstrates readiness for post-secondary engagement through three pieces of evidence from the student’s career portfolio aligned to the student goals and career plan. Examples include:
    • SAT subject tests
    • AP level dual enrollment coursework
    • Acceptance into a 4-year post-secondary institution.
    • A community service project
    • Completion of an internship, externship, co-op, or full-time employment