April 6, 2026
Welcome back from Spring Break, Bears!! As we head into the home stretch of the school year, we want to reshare our Statewide Assessment Calendar along with some helpful resources, information, and tips to support your child on this chapter of his/her learning journey. This information was also shared via email to all parents/guardians earlier this morning. Check it out!
WHY THESE ASSESSMENTS MATTER
The PSSA and Keystone exams give us a meaningful snapshot of how our students are growing as learners — and they help our teachers, administrators, and community understand where we're doing well and where we can continue to improve. These results inform the instructional decisions we make for your children every single day.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR STUDENT
Encourage a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast on testing days; we serve breakfast daily at UCASD!
Remind them to do their best — that's all we ever ask.
Keep the tone relaxed and positive at home; these assessments are a chance to shine, not something to worry about.
Make sure your student is present on their scheduled testing days if at all possible.
INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES
We also waned to share copies of some information provided annually by PDE that you may find helpful. In your email and on our website, you'll find copies of the following:
PDE Parent Letter Cell Phones and Electronic Devices 2026
PDE PSSA Spring 2026 Parent Letter FAQ
PDE Keystone Spring 2026 Parent Letter FAQ
PDE Calculator Policy 2026 - All students are provided with a handheld calculator during testing
For more information about our district's assessment program, including helpful resources from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit our Student Assessment page at: https://www.ucasd.org/page/student-assessment. You can contact each of our School Assessment Coordinators directly via email as follows:
Mr. McMahan at the Elementary School (emcmahan@ucasd.org)
Mr. Anthony at the Middle School (janthony@ucasd.org)
Mrs. Conti at the High School (aconti@ucasd.org)
Mrs. Dell as the District Assessment Coordinator (sdell@ucasd.org)
We are so proud of our Bear students and the hard work they put in every day. These assessments are just one more chance for them to show what they know — and we know they're ready. Thank you for your support of our students!
#GoBears
WHY THESE ASSESSMENTS MATTER
The PSSA and Keystone exams give us a meaningful snapshot of how our students are growing as learners — and they help our teachers, administrators, and community understand where we're doing well and where we can continue to improve. These results inform the instructional decisions we make for your children every single day.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR STUDENT
Encourage a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast on testing days; we serve breakfast daily at UCASD!
Remind them to do their best — that's all we ever ask.
Keep the tone relaxed and positive at home; these assessments are a chance to shine, not something to worry about.
Make sure your student is present on their scheduled testing days if at all possible.
INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES
We also waned to share copies of some information provided annually by PDE that you may find helpful. In your email and on our website, you'll find copies of the following:
PDE Parent Letter Cell Phones and Electronic Devices 2026
PDE PSSA Spring 2026 Parent Letter FAQ
PDE Keystone Spring 2026 Parent Letter FAQ
PDE Calculator Policy 2026 - All students are provided with a handheld calculator during testing
For more information about our district's assessment program, including helpful resources from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit our Student Assessment page at: https://www.ucasd.org/page/student-assessment. You can contact each of our School Assessment Coordinators directly via email as follows:
Mr. McMahan at the Elementary School (emcmahan@ucasd.org)
Mr. Anthony at the Middle School (janthony@ucasd.org)
Mrs. Conti at the High School (aconti@ucasd.org)
Mrs. Dell as the District Assessment Coordinator (sdell@ucasd.org)
We are so proud of our Bear students and the hard work they put in every day. These assessments are just one more chance for them to show what they know — and we know they're ready. Thank you for your support of our students!
#GoBears