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Home > Academics > Schools > School of Education and Human Services: Skills Assessment

Skills Assessment

  • PDE Basic Skills Assessment Requirements
    • Act 55 of 2022 signed into law by Governor Wolf on July 8, 2022, requires the Secretary of Education to waive the requirement to satisfactorily complete the assessment of basic skills required under section 1207.3 and 22 Pa. Code § 49.18(c) (relating to assessment) for 3 years from July 8, 2022 through July 8, 2025. This applies to all students who enter preparation programs during this period as well as otherwise qualified candidates for licensure who make applications during this period.

Basic Skills Assessment Policy

To meet Pennsylvania’s Basic Skills Assessment Requirement, candidates may now "mix and match" scores from any of the following options:

  • For Math module only - a grade of B or higher in both MATH 205 and MATH 206 *
  • For Reading & Writing modules only – a grade of B or higher in English 102 *
  • ACT (old and new)
  • SAT (old and new)
  • ETS Core
  • PAPA
  • PPST (taken when this was still a valid option – prior to September 1st, 2012)
  • These courses must be taken at Neumann University to meet the Basic Skills requirements.

Test results never "expire," so a score is valid even if it is from a test that was taken several years ago.

Information and to register for PAPA

Information and to register for ETS core

PDE has developed a calculation tool that automatically computes whether a student has met the BSA requirement through combining scores from different tests (also known as the "Composite Score Option"). Download a copy of the Basic Skills Calculator. You can enter in your highest score on each test that you took, and the calculator will compare all the possible combinations and will indicate whether you have met the criteria. You can also use the calculator to run "what do I need to earn to pass" scenarios for the different tests. You can click on the "Qualification Rules" tab at the bottom of the Excel sheet to see what the minimum scores are for each part of each test.

Note: There are many resources available to help students prepare for the Basic Skills Tests. Go to the Neumann Educator Resource Center Blackboard Community site to find resources.