Exact Path Diagnostic and Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) Correlational Study

Exact Path diagnostic assessments and Study Island Benchmarks yield highly accurate predictions of student test results on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and Keystone Exams. These results support the use of the Exact Path diagnostic and the Study Island Benchmarks as strong predictors of student proficiency on Pennsylvania state assessments. This research study linked fall, winter, and spring scores on Edmentum assessments to spring PSSA and Keystone Exam scores across all grades 3–8 and high school in English language arts and math. 

With this evidence, educators can confidently use Exact Path diagnostic and Study Island Benchmark results to predict students’ PSSA and Keystone Exams performance and ensure that students are on track to meet academic standards, helping them build the knowledge and skills needed for success on the state assessment and to meet the state’s graduation requirements.  

In preparation for PSSA/Keystone exams, educators can use Exact Path diagnostic and Study Island Benchmark results to  

• Predict students’ proficiency on PSSA/Keystone Exams  

• identify students who need additional support  

• prioritize content areas to focus on  

• inform data-driven instruction and targeted intervention