On Pennsylvania's Keystone Exams, Keystone Literature is reported on a scale from 1200 to 1800 (2018, 2019 and 2021 to 2025), and each score falls into one of 4 performance levels. Reaching Proficient, at 1500 or above, is the state's proficiency line.
| Level | Score range | What it means | Statewide 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below Basic | 1200–1443 | The lowest level, well below the state standard | 14% |
| Basic | 1444–1499 | Approaching the state standard | 24% |
| Proficient | 1500–1583 | Meeting the state standard (the proficiency line) | 50% |
| Advanced | 1584–1800 | The highest level, above the state standard | 12% |
Statewide in 2025, about 62% of the students counted for Keystone Literature reached Proficient or Advanced. The bar above shows the share at each level (left = lowest).
Pennsylvania reports the Keystone Exams for its 11th graders. Each junior with a score is counted once, with their best Keystone score so far, whatever grade or test session it came from: a student can take an exam before 11th grade and can take it again. So a percentile here compares a score with juniors' best scores, and a school's numbers are its own 11th graders, wherever they tested. Fewer juniors are counted in 2021 to 2023, because the spring 2020 exams were cancelled, students who missed them did not have to test later, and fewer students tested in 2021. PDE says the 2021 results are not a representative sample.
More on who is counted, and how: see how we count.
A score's meaning depends on where it lands in the ranges above, and on how it compares to other students who took the same test. Our free tool turns a Keystone Literature score into an estimated percentile versus the school, district, county and the whole state, so you can see where a score stands, not just its level.
Look up a Keystone Literature percentile →