Keystone Biology Scoring Guide Companion | Biology | Grades 9–12

This Keystone Biology Scoring Guide Companion is a state assessment prep resource for the Pennsylvania Keystone Biology exam (STEELS-aligned), written for high school Biology students in grades 9–12 and their teachers.

Pairs with: Keystone Biology Exam Overview & Teacher Guide; Keystone Biology Comprehensive Study Guide.

Sections: Teacher-facing Companion — Item Samplers & Scoring Guides; How This Exam Is Put Together; How Technology-enhanced Items Are Scored; Using Pde's Official Sampler In Class; A Worked Scoring Walkthrough; Scoring Student Practice Work — A Short Protocol; Sources.

What's inside: Item Sampler & Scoring Guide (editable .docx + PDF, about 1,744 words, 4 pages); answer key / model answers for the teacher.

Standards: Pennsylvania STEELS standards assessed on the Keystone Biology exam (Modules 1 and 2), with NGSS-aligned life science practices.

Resource type: State Test Prep. Format: editable Microsoft Word file plus a ready-to-print PDF.

Classroom use: Use it to prepare students for the end-of-course state biology assessment. Built for high school Biology, grades 9–12.

Format note: These files are delivered in Microsoft Office formats (Word and/or PowerPoint). If you open a worksheet that includes tables in Apple Pages or another non-Microsoft app, table formatting may not display correctly. For best results, use Microsoft Word or PowerPoint (or upload the file to Google Docs). If you run into any formatting issues, contact us and we can send a PDF version.