Middle School Placement Exams

Need help choosing your child's middle school courses? By taking the time to have your child complete one or more of our Middle School Placement Exams, you are on your way to getting started.

Choosing a Math or Language Arts Course

If you need help determining which Math course to take, you can choose any of our Math Placement Exams.

If you need help determining which Language Arts course to take, you can choose any of the below Language Arts Placement Exams.

Preparing to Take the Exam

You should set aside at least one hour for your child to complete an exam. If he or she cannot complete the exam in one sitting, plan on finishing the exam in no more than two sessions.

You should take a short amount of time prior to beginning the exam to set up your child's work area. You should set up an area with little to no distractions. Avoid high traffic areas of your home. And, be sure everyone in the surrounding area knows how important it is for your child to be taking this exam. Be sure your child has access to paper and pencils so you don't have to search for these items when needed.

Taking the Exam

All questions should be attempted. Be sure to use the space provided to solve problems. The back of the exam sheet can also be used if needed. Write the answer in the proper location so when the exam is being graded, the answers are easy to find. Write clearly and accurately.

Be sure to answer the questions completely and avoid answers containing more than one possibility. Your child should feel confident enough about the answer to clearly state it. If he or she absolutely gets stuck on a question, leave the question blank. Your child should do his or her own work.

No outside resources or friends or family members should assist with the exam. Remember, the goal is to help you place your child into the correct Keystone course. The results are yours to keep and are not shared with Keystone in any way unless you choose to do so.

If your child does not do his or her own work, the results may not accurately reflect your child's placement level and you may enroll in a course for which he or she is not ready.

Grading the Exam

A parent, guardian, teacher, tutor or other educational professional may grade the exam using the following keys:

All answers should be marked as "Correct" or "Incorrect." One ("1") point should be awarded for each correct answer. The essay question is worth 20 points; use the essay table section of the answer key to determine the score. At the bottom of each page, record the total points awarded for that page.

Using the Results Table (PDF), locate the exam by name. Next, locate the score that was achieved on the exam. Corresponding to this score, you will find a recommended action plan.

The results may indicate the need to complete another Placement Exam. If so, choose the correct placement exam above and complete it as noted.

Once all appropriate exams have been completed, course selections can be made. Be sure to refer to the Results Table for additional suggestions for choosing courses.

After choosing your courses, view our course catalog for course details.