Philadelphia teachers came back to school this week for professional development and found a critical tool missing: state test scores from last year.
Results from the 2025-26 PSSA and Keystone exams, which educators typically receive around June, have not been shared with teachers and principals. Students return Aug. 24, and the school selection process opens Sept. 8. This leaves school leaders scrambling to plan without data they depend on to place students, allocate resources, and identify kids who need extra help.
District points to Harrisburg
School district officials said the holdup is with the state. The district “has been notified that the release of official statewide PSSA and Keystone results by the Pennsylvania Department of Education is on hold,” district spokespeople said in a statement to Chalkbeat Tuesday.
A spokesperson from the Pennsylvania Department of Education did not respond to requests for comment. The district did not respond to requests for clarification.
A field message PDE sent Tuesday morning said statewide comparison data is still being analyzed and is not being shared publicly. That message confirmed districts received preliminary school-level assessment data in June, raising questions about why the district says it cannot use the results.
Several Philadelphia charter school leaders have already shared preliminary state test results with their teachers. At least one other Pennsylvania district, Conrad Weiser Area School District in Berks County, has shared its preliminary PSSA data publicly through school board documents.
School selection in limbo
The district said it “cannot use the 2025-26 assessment results to evaluate year-over-year student achievement or as the required criterion for school selection.” Instead, students will be able to take an “alternative assessment” this fall and submit those results.
Without state test scores available when school selection opens Sept. 8, families could face new complications in the admissions process. The district has not provided further detail on how the delay might affect admissions decisions.
Teachers relying on limited benchmarks
Several teachers told Chalkbeat this week they haven’t seen results and aren’t sure why. While schools have some student data from STAR benchmark exams, staff rely in part on state assessments to determine which students need additional support, where teachers are most needed, and where extra resources should go.
In a typical year, the state releases PSSA and Keystone data to districts early in the summer. District officials then review the data from June through July, share it with school leaders, and check for errors. Statewide comparison data usually follows, with public presentations at school board meetings by September or October.
Philadelphia is not alone. Testing experts are calling for an investigation into New York City’s scores, and New Jersey educators say their own state score delays are forcing schools to start the academic year without crucial data.
The district has not said when it expects to receive the official results or how long the alternative assessment process will take.