The PSSA is continually being evaluated and improved based on feedback from students, parents and schools.
All school districts participate in the reading and mathematics assessment each year.
Participation in the writing assessment coincides with a district's six-year strategic planning cycle. Assessment occurs before planning begins, after three years, and at the end of the strategic planning cycle. Additional districts may participate off-cycle on a voluntary basis. The reading and mathematics assessments use a combination of census testing and matrix sampling procedures. Census testing requires all students to complete the same set of multiple choice items and performance tasks.