Reaction to the PSSA scores from district officials

Another in the BCCT series on the 2008 PSSA scores

Reaction to the PSSA scores from district officials

BENSALEM: “CONSISTENT PROGRESS”

The district earned Adequate Yearly Progress for a second year in a row, but improvement still needs to be made, Superintendent James Lombardo said.

“What’s most important to me is not achieving an arbitrary point, but instead consistent, significant progress,” Lombardo said.

Bensalem High School is in Corrective Action for a second year because of its special education students’ performance on the PSSA math and reading tests, according to state results. In addition, Samuel K. Faust, Benjamin Rush and Valley elementary schools received a Warning either because not enough of its minority, special education or economically disadvantaged students performed at grade level.

The district has methods in place or will implement various strategies this school year to address the performance discrepancies, Lombardo said.

BRISTOL BOROUGH: “SUPER JOB”

As a whole, Bristol is moving in the right direction, Superintendent Broadus Davis said.

He pointed to the third grade’s strong performance on the test.

“This is a credit to the grade level teachers and support staff and, most importantly, to the hard work and dedication of the students for doing a super job,” Davis said.

However, improvements are still needed at the district’s high school level, he said.

Bristol Borough Junior/Senior High School received a Warning this year because its overall student population and its economically disadvantaged subgroup did not have a high enough proficiency rate on the 2008 PSSA reading test. In order to improve the high school students’ performance, “the district administrative team will provide on-going staff development and training in data analysis as well as support in reading and math,” Davis said.

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP: “GREAT IMPROVEMENTS”

The district “is being watched very closely” because of its recent student performance gains, Superintendent Ellen Budman said. For the first time in several years, Harry S Truman High School made Adequate Yearly Progress, according to state 2008 PSSA results.

“We’ve made great improvements. We’re closing the gap between minority and white students. This is what we do here,” Budman said.

But some improvements are still needed, specifically at Clara Barton, Lafayette and Abraham Lincoln elementary schools, she said. Not enough black students at Barton achieved proficiency in reading. Lafayette’s overall population as well as the economically disadvantaged subgroup did not achieve proficiency on the reading PSSA tests. And not enough of Lincoln’s black and special education students performed at grade level in reading.

The district is implementing various strategies to correct the shortfalls in performance, Budman said.

“I expect all schools to make AYP next year,” she said.

BUCKS COUNTY MONTESSORI CHARTER SCHOOL: “REAPS BENEFITS”

“As far as what we do, we really don’t teach to the test. We have a really rigorous curriculum. Our scores tend to be very strong in third grade and increase each year,” said Principal Brian Long.

By the time they get to the highest grade in the school, sixth grade, scores tend to be at 100 percent proficient, he said.

That was the case with this year’s sixth graders for their math and reading scores.

“It’s something we really pride ourselves in. We have kids work with materials early on. It reaps benefits later on,” said Long.

Students learn advanced concepts in the Montessori curriculum and end up with a strong understanding of math and reading, he said.

BUCKS COUNTY TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL: “NOT SHOCKED”

The performance of Bucks County Technical High School students on the 2008 PSSA tests left school Administrative Director Scott R. Parks “disappointed but not shocked.”

The comprehensive technical high school that serves the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school districts achieved Adequate Yearly Progress for the first time in 2007

But it received a Warning from the state this year because not enough of its overall population and special education subgroup achieved proficiency in reading. In addition, not enough of its white students and special education students were proficient in math.

Parks blames it on a combina tion of complacency and a learning curve the teachers are trying to overcome as they figure out how to use new technology in the classroom to deliver their lessons. In order to regain AYP status, teachers will work to master the technology and the school will require students clearly in need of additional learning support to attend mandatory tutoring sessions. Parks said.

CENTENNIAL: “IMPRESSIVE GAINS”

“Last year, our high school, despite being classified as Corrective Action 2 [first year], saw impressive gains in mathematics,” said Jennifer Foight-Cressman, director of teaching and learning.

The district has made AYP for the third year in a row.

While William Tennent High school will remain in Corrective Action status for one more year, its “Making Progress” status means that students made great strides in both mathematics and reading in all populations, including the special education population, said Foight-Cressman.

The district attributes the successes in part to periodic benchmark assessments of skills to make sure they are up to state standards, the continual refinement of the high school reading program and the use of tools like Study Island. Because two schools have slipped into “warning” status, their principals will be working closely with teachers, special education supervisors and Foight-Cressman to identify the root causes of low scores and create a plan to raise the performance levels in the coming year.

CENTER FOR STUDENT LEARNING: READING SCORES DECREASE

The center’s AYP status is School Improvement II, which means it has been trying to make Adequate Yearly Progress for the third consecutive year. Grade 8 math scores increased from last year but reading scores decreased. Grade 11 math and reading scores decreased.

Typically, schools with CSL’s status have to engage students in tutoring and further assessments. The school also has to work on an overall improvement plan.

A school official was unavailable for comment.

COUNCIL ROCK: “QUALITY INSTRUCTION”

All schools in the traditionally high-performing district earned Adequate Yearly Progress status, according to state results.

“We continue to emphasize quality instruction in the classrooms,” Superintendent Mark Klein said. “While we are pleased with the scores on the state assessment, we measure progress for our students across many measures over the course of the school year.”

MORRISVILLE: “SIGNIFICANT CHANGE”

The district and all schools made Adequate Yearly Progress this year. The 11th grade math scores went up significantly, with 28 percent higher scores than last year.

There is still an increase in 11th grade math scores after adding the data of students who are in alternative placements.

“I attribute this to the hard work of our administrators Ferrara as well as our teachers. Through analysis and focused instruction we were able to affect significant change,” said Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson.

NESHAMINY: FOCUS ON SUBGROUPS

The district did not meet AYP because of special education reading.

Although Poquessing and Maple Point Middle Schools did make it, Sandburg and Neshaminy Middle School did not because of special education scores in math and reading.

The high school’s math and reading scores increased double digits over last year’s figures and that school improved in special education, too. But since that Middletown school’s economically disadvantaged students didn’t meet the reading targets, Neshaminy High School is in Corrective Action II.

Neshaminy Superintendent Paul Kadri compared increasing student performance to long distance running.

“As a district, we wish we made AYP,” he said. “We’re sad about the high school, too, but they had a wonderful year. We’re pretty excited about the double digit increase. We need to look and see what’s going on [with the economtion, formative reading assessments and other measures, said district spokeswoman Ann Langtry.

Pennsbury High School made the necessary improvements to be placed in the category of “making progress,” though it’s still in corrective action status.

The high school is in its second year of improvement with the special education subgroup.

Charles Boehm and Pennwood middle schools, which were in warning status last year, are both now making AYP.

SCHOOL LANE CHARTER SCHOOL: YEARLONG FOCUS HELPED

The charter school off Bristol Pike in Bensalem made Adequate Yearly Progress with over 70 percent of its students demonstrating proficiency in math and nearly 70 percent scoring proficient or better in reading.

Karen Schade, the school’s principal, attributes student performance growth to a yearlong focus on reading and vocabulary instruction.

The school serves about 550 students in kindergarten through eighth-grade who live in Bensalem, Philadelphia and other surrounding communities.

Comments compiled by education reporters Joan Hellyer, Manasee Wagh and Rachel Canelli.