From the Hanover PA Evening Sun.
Most 11th-graders flunk new Pa. science test
The Associated Press
Posted: 12/09/2008 02:50:14 PM EST
HARRISBURG, Pa.—Nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvania's 11th-graders failed the state's new science test during the 2007-08 school year, according to results released Tuesday by the state Education Department.
Only 36 percent of 11th-graders scored at grade level on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment science test, Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak said.
The results show that Pennsylvania needs more rigorous statewide graduation standards, Zahorchak said.
"This is further evidence that local high school graduation requirements and local assessments, which are currently under the control of school boards, are not ensuring that our graduates are ready for college or careers," he said.
A plan pushed by Gov. Ed Rendell's administration to mandate new statewide graduation tests stalled this year amid opposition from lawmakers. Instead, the department is developing a voluntary testing program, starting in the 2009-10 school year.
The science test was given in the spring to students in grades four, eight and 11. The PSSA has tested students in math, reading and writing since 2002.
Eighty-two percent of fourth-graders and 53 percent of eighth-graders scored at grade level on the science test.
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On the Net:
Information on this year’s PSSA science results can be found on the Department of Education’s Web site at http://www.pde.state.pa.us/a_and_t/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=146079.
Showing posts with label PSSA Scores 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PSSA Scores 2008. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Renovations on time, on budget
Neshaminy's Back to School profile.
Renovations on time, on budget
This year, administrators said they’re working on implementing a writing program for all grade levels.
By RACHEL CANELLI
A brand new two-story classroom wing will be opening at Neshaminy High School to begin the school year. The building includes new desks and flat screen televisions. Crews will continue to work on another new two-story wing for science, which should be equipped with new labs and updated tools by the spring, officials said.
The Middletown school is more than halfway through a major construction and renovation project, which is adding more than 250,000 square feet to accommodate 2,800 students, including ninth- graders who will move there from the middle schools next year, administrators said.
The whole $82 million project, which remains on time and on budget, is expected to be finished in September 2009. The district borrowed $77 million to fund it, officials said.
Elsewhere in the district, officials said they’re implementing a literacy framework for kindergartners through first-graders this year, and including a writing program in all grades, according to spokeswoman Sandra Costanzo.
Meanwhile, Neshaminy Middle School, which recently closed, received the Bronze Level National Recognition Award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for its health initiatives. The Middletown building was one of 43 schools in the country and the only school in the state to receive the recognition. Former President Bill Clinton and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation presented the honor to the school’s former principal, Karen Wychock, administrators said.
The Neshaminy School District serves more than 9,000 students in 13 schools throughout Middletown, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel, Hulmeville and Lower Southampton. The district employs more than 1,500 people and has adopted a $190 million annual budget, officials said. For information, visit www.neshaminy.k12.pa.us.
WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS
Superintendent:
Paul J. Kadri, 215-809-6500
Assistant Superintendent:
Louis T. Muenker, 215-809-6606
Director of elementary education:
Jacqueline Rattigan, 215-809-6510
Director of secondary education:
Geeta A. Heble, 215-809-6510
Principals:
Tawanka Learning Center: Joann Holland, 215-809-6240
Neshaminy High: Alex Menio, 215-809-6100
Maple Point Middle: Mark Collins, 215-809-6230
Poquessing Middle: Ronald Sayre, 215-809-6210
Carl Sandburg Middle: Dawn Kelly, 215-809-6220
Pearl Buck Elementary: Paul Mahoney, 215-809-6300
Samuel Everitt Elementary: Andre Modica, 215-809-6320
Joseph Ferderbar Elementary: Judy Brown, 215-809-6370
Oliver Heckman Elementary: Brian Kern, 215-809-6330
Herbert Hoover Elementary: Karen Wychock, 215-809-6340
Lower Southampton Elementary: Matthew Walsh, 215-809-6350
Walter Miller Elementary: Joan Chak, 215-809-6360
Albert Schweitzer Elementary: Stephanie Miguelez, 215-809-6380
School board:
Joseph Blasch, Kim Koutsouradis, Irene Boyle, Susan Cummings, Richard Eccles, Frank Koziol, William Spitz, Ritchie Webb and William O’Connor. The board meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m., except in July and August. The board does not normally meet in July. It meets on the fourth Tuesday in August. Work sessions are held in the administrative boardroom of the Maple Point Middle School in Middletown. To reach the school board, visit www.neshaminy.k12.pa.us and follow the links.
2008-09 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept. 3, first day for students Sept. 30, Rosh Hashana, no school Oct. 1, Rosh Hashana, no school Oct. 9, Yom Kippur, no school Nov. 4, Election Day, no school Nov. 11, Veterans Day, district closed Nov. 26-28, Thanksgiving holiday Dec. 24-31 Christmas recess Jan 1-2, Christmas recess Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day Feb. 16, Presidents Day Feb. 25, no school Apr. 6-10 Spring recess May 19, Election Day, no school May 25, Memorial Day June 11, graduation June 19, last day for students
FAST FACTS ABOUT NESHAMINY
2007 Average SAT Scores: Verbal — 499
Math — 511
Writing — 490
Average teacher salary: $81,480
AP courses: 12
Student/teacher ratio: high school, 14 to 1; middle, 12 to 1; elementary, 14 to 1
Cost per student: $15,680
2008 Adequate Yearly Progress status: did not meet AYP goal
Partnerships with businesses:
more than 500 community partners
Information provided by the Neshaminy School District
Renovations on time, on budget
This year, administrators said they’re working on implementing a writing program for all grade levels.
By RACHEL CANELLI
A brand new two-story classroom wing will be opening at Neshaminy High School to begin the school year. The building includes new desks and flat screen televisions. Crews will continue to work on another new two-story wing for science, which should be equipped with new labs and updated tools by the spring, officials said.
The Middletown school is more than halfway through a major construction and renovation project, which is adding more than 250,000 square feet to accommodate 2,800 students, including ninth- graders who will move there from the middle schools next year, administrators said.
The whole $82 million project, which remains on time and on budget, is expected to be finished in September 2009. The district borrowed $77 million to fund it, officials said.
Elsewhere in the district, officials said they’re implementing a literacy framework for kindergartners through first-graders this year, and including a writing program in all grades, according to spokeswoman Sandra Costanzo.
Meanwhile, Neshaminy Middle School, which recently closed, received the Bronze Level National Recognition Award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for its health initiatives. The Middletown building was one of 43 schools in the country and the only school in the state to receive the recognition. Former President Bill Clinton and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation presented the honor to the school’s former principal, Karen Wychock, administrators said.
The Neshaminy School District serves more than 9,000 students in 13 schools throughout Middletown, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel, Hulmeville and Lower Southampton. The district employs more than 1,500 people and has adopted a $190 million annual budget, officials said. For information, visit www.neshaminy.k12.pa.us.
WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS
Superintendent:
Paul J. Kadri, 215-809-6500
Assistant Superintendent:
Louis T. Muenker, 215-809-6606
Director of elementary education:
Jacqueline Rattigan, 215-809-6510
Director of secondary education:
Geeta A. Heble, 215-809-6510
Principals:
Tawanka Learning Center: Joann Holland, 215-809-6240
Neshaminy High: Alex Menio, 215-809-6100
Maple Point Middle: Mark Collins, 215-809-6230
Poquessing Middle: Ronald Sayre, 215-809-6210
Carl Sandburg Middle: Dawn Kelly, 215-809-6220
Pearl Buck Elementary: Paul Mahoney, 215-809-6300
Samuel Everitt Elementary: Andre Modica, 215-809-6320
Joseph Ferderbar Elementary: Judy Brown, 215-809-6370
Oliver Heckman Elementary: Brian Kern, 215-809-6330
Herbert Hoover Elementary: Karen Wychock, 215-809-6340
Lower Southampton Elementary: Matthew Walsh, 215-809-6350
Walter Miller Elementary: Joan Chak, 215-809-6360
Albert Schweitzer Elementary: Stephanie Miguelez, 215-809-6380
School board:
Joseph Blasch, Kim Koutsouradis, Irene Boyle, Susan Cummings, Richard Eccles, Frank Koziol, William Spitz, Ritchie Webb and William O’Connor. The board meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m., except in July and August. The board does not normally meet in July. It meets on the fourth Tuesday in August. Work sessions are held in the administrative boardroom of the Maple Point Middle School in Middletown. To reach the school board, visit www.neshaminy.k12.pa.us and follow the links.
2008-09 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept. 3, first day for students Sept. 30, Rosh Hashana, no school Oct. 1, Rosh Hashana, no school Oct. 9, Yom Kippur, no school Nov. 4, Election Day, no school Nov. 11, Veterans Day, district closed Nov. 26-28, Thanksgiving holiday Dec. 24-31 Christmas recess Jan 1-2, Christmas recess Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day Feb. 16, Presidents Day Feb. 25, no school Apr. 6-10 Spring recess May 19, Election Day, no school May 25, Memorial Day June 11, graduation June 19, last day for students
FAST FACTS ABOUT NESHAMINY
2007 Average SAT Scores: Verbal — 499
Math — 511
Writing — 490
Average teacher salary: $81,480
AP courses: 12
Student/teacher ratio: high school, 14 to 1; middle, 12 to 1; elementary, 14 to 1
Cost per student: $15,680
2008 Adequate Yearly Progress status: did not meet AYP goal
Partnerships with businesses:
more than 500 community partners
Information provided by the Neshaminy School District
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Pennsbury Back to School Profile
From the BCCT
Going high tech, going green
By MANASEE WAGH
Pennsbury is using its $1.17 million Classrooms for the Future state grant to enhance education at the high school. Students and teachers already have started using integrated technology such as microscope analysis systems hooked up to an interactive whiteboard at the front of the classroom.
The district’s Makefield Elementary School will go green. Both the school and the environment will benefit from sustainable practices like a green roof covered with plants that help insulate the building and reduce storm water runoff, rooftop solar panels that gather energy and a variety of energy conservation designs.
Abby Brazina, a social studies teacher at William Penn Middle School, was selected from a national pool of more than 1,700 applicants to be an honored guest of the Japanese government as part of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program.
As part of a group of 160 American educators, she will travel to Japan for three weeks in October to promote greater intercultural understanding. Brazina hopes to learn how the Japanese incorporate cultural values and customs into schools to promote character education and civic responsibility.
Pennsbury serves more than 12,500 students in Falls, Tullytown, Lower Makefield and Yardley.
It employs more than 1,531, including 809 teachers, with a $167.5 million budget. For information, visit www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS?
Chief Executive Officer:
Paul Long, 215-428-4100, ext. 10001
Assistant superintendents:
Kevin McHugh, (interim director of curriculum and instruction, K-12), 215-428-4100, ext. 10014
Donald Harm (administration), 215-428-4100, ext. 10012
Principals:
Pennsbury High East: W. David Bowman, 215-949-6700 Pennsbury High West: Lisa Becker, 215-949-6780 Charles Boehm Middle: Theresa Ricci, 215-428-4220 William Penn Middle: Larry Ricci, 215-428-4280 Pennwood Middle: Patricia Steckroat (acting principal), 215-428-4237 Afton Elementary: Norman Gross, 215-321-8540 Walt Disney Elementary: Fay Manicke, 215-949-6868 Edgewood Elementary: Michele Spack, 215-321-2410 Fallsington Elementary: David Hughes, 215-428-4170 Makefield Elementary: Donna McCormick-Miller, 215-321-2420 Manor Elementary: Richard Houseknecht, 215-949-6770 Oxford Valley Elementary: Fran Nitkin, 215-949-6808 Penn Valley Elementary: Peggy Schiavone, 215-949-6800 Quarry Hill Elementary: Karen Laarkamp, 215-321-2400 Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary: Robert Wurst, 215-428-4256 Village Park Elementary: Joe Masgai, 215-949-6740
SCHOOL BOARD
Members: President Gregory Lucidi Jr., Gene Dolnick, Michielle Deis, Howard Goldberg, Arlene Gordon, Adele Governatore, Richard Johnson, Linda Palsky and Gabriele Smyth. The board meets at 8 p.m. on the second and third Thursdays of the month, except in July and August, in the auditorium of the Fallsington Elementary School on Yardley Avenue. The first meeting of the 2007-2008 school year will be on Aug. 23. To contact the board, visit www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us.
SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept 2, First day of school Sept 30-Oct 1, Rosh Hashana – no school Oct 9, Yom Kippur – no school Nov 11, Veterans Day – no school Nov 12-14, Parent-teacher conferences, half-day grades 1-5 Nov 27, 28, Thanksgiving holiday – no school Dec 24-Jan 2, Christmas holidays – no school Jan 19, Martin Luther King Day no school Feb 16, Presidents Day – no school April 9, 10, Passover/Easter/spring recess – no school
April 15-17, Parent-teacher conferences, half-day grades 1-5 May 25, Memorial Day, no school June 17, Last day of school
FAST FACTS ABOUT PENNSBURY
Average SAT scores
(Unofficial scores for 2007-2008):
Critical reading: 530 Math: 545 Writing: 516
Total number of AP courses: 20
Student – teacher average ratios: Elementary: 23 – 1 Middle: 25 – 1 High School: 25 – 1
Average Teacher’s Salary: $77,524.41
Percentage of 2008 class that planned to go on to higher education: 93.34
Median household income in Pennsbury: $72,029.52
Cost per student: Elementary: $9,647.27 Secondary: $12,010.64
Partnerships with businesses: More than 1,000 through the Pennsbury Partners Program, including Yardley Jewelers, Yardley Flower Company, VFW Post 6393, Exelon Generation, International Culinary Schools of the Arts Institute, Transcend Sports Training Systems and Newtown Chamber Orchestra. AYP Status: All but two individual Pennsbury schools are meeting AYP. Penn Valley and Fallsington Elementary Schools each have one subgroup that did not achieve the required benchmark in reading.
Going high tech, going green
By MANASEE WAGH
Pennsbury is using its $1.17 million Classrooms for the Future state grant to enhance education at the high school. Students and teachers already have started using integrated technology such as microscope analysis systems hooked up to an interactive whiteboard at the front of the classroom.
The district’s Makefield Elementary School will go green. Both the school and the environment will benefit from sustainable practices like a green roof covered with plants that help insulate the building and reduce storm water runoff, rooftop solar panels that gather energy and a variety of energy conservation designs.
Abby Brazina, a social studies teacher at William Penn Middle School, was selected from a national pool of more than 1,700 applicants to be an honored guest of the Japanese government as part of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program.As part of a group of 160 American educators, she will travel to Japan for three weeks in October to promote greater intercultural understanding. Brazina hopes to learn how the Japanese incorporate cultural values and customs into schools to promote character education and civic responsibility.
Pennsbury serves more than 12,500 students in Falls, Tullytown, Lower Makefield and Yardley.
It employs more than 1,531, including 809 teachers, with a $167.5 million budget. For information, visit www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS?
Chief Executive Officer:
Paul Long, 215-428-4100, ext. 10001
Assistant superintendents:
Kevin McHugh, (interim director of curriculum and instruction, K-12), 215-428-4100, ext. 10014
Donald Harm (administration), 215-428-4100, ext. 10012
Principals:
Pennsbury High East: W. David Bowman, 215-949-6700 Pennsbury High West: Lisa Becker, 215-949-6780 Charles Boehm Middle: Theresa Ricci, 215-428-4220 William Penn Middle: Larry Ricci, 215-428-4280 Pennwood Middle: Patricia Steckroat (acting principal), 215-428-4237 Afton Elementary: Norman Gross, 215-321-8540 Walt Disney Elementary: Fay Manicke, 215-949-6868 Edgewood Elementary: Michele Spack, 215-321-2410 Fallsington Elementary: David Hughes, 215-428-4170 Makefield Elementary: Donna McCormick-Miller, 215-321-2420 Manor Elementary: Richard Houseknecht, 215-949-6770 Oxford Valley Elementary: Fran Nitkin, 215-949-6808 Penn Valley Elementary: Peggy Schiavone, 215-949-6800 Quarry Hill Elementary: Karen Laarkamp, 215-321-2400 Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary: Robert Wurst, 215-428-4256 Village Park Elementary: Joe Masgai, 215-949-6740
SCHOOL BOARD
Members: President Gregory Lucidi Jr., Gene Dolnick, Michielle Deis, Howard Goldberg, Arlene Gordon, Adele Governatore, Richard Johnson, Linda Palsky and Gabriele Smyth. The board meets at 8 p.m. on the second and third Thursdays of the month, except in July and August, in the auditorium of the Fallsington Elementary School on Yardley Avenue. The first meeting of the 2007-2008 school year will be on Aug. 23. To contact the board, visit www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us.
SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept 2, First day of school Sept 30-Oct 1, Rosh Hashana – no school Oct 9, Yom Kippur – no school Nov 11, Veterans Day – no school Nov 12-14, Parent-teacher conferences, half-day grades 1-5 Nov 27, 28, Thanksgiving holiday – no school Dec 24-Jan 2, Christmas holidays – no school Jan 19, Martin Luther King Day no school Feb 16, Presidents Day – no school April 9, 10, Passover/Easter/spring recess – no school
April 15-17, Parent-teacher conferences, half-day grades 1-5 May 25, Memorial Day, no school June 17, Last day of school
FAST FACTS ABOUT PENNSBURY
Average SAT scores
(Unofficial scores for 2007-2008):
Critical reading: 530 Math: 545 Writing: 516
Total number of AP courses: 20
Student – teacher average ratios: Elementary: 23 – 1 Middle: 25 – 1 High School: 25 – 1
Average Teacher’s Salary: $77,524.41
Percentage of 2008 class that planned to go on to higher education: 93.34
Median household income in Pennsbury: $72,029.52
Cost per student: Elementary: $9,647.27 Secondary: $12,010.64
Partnerships with businesses: More than 1,000 through the Pennsbury Partners Program, including Yardley Jewelers, Yardley Flower Company, VFW Post 6393, Exelon Generation, International Culinary Schools of the Arts Institute, Transcend Sports Training Systems and Newtown Chamber Orchestra. AYP Status: All but two individual Pennsbury schools are meeting AYP. Penn Valley and Fallsington Elementary Schools each have one subgroup that did not achieve the required benchmark in reading.
Morrisville Back to School Profile
Next in the BCCT PSSA/Back to School queue: Morrisville
Computers enhance lessons
Students earn college credit for language classes in Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Japanese at the high school.
By MANASEE WAGH
Morrisville Middle/Senior High School recently received a Classrooms for the Future grant, enabling students to use more computers and integrated technology to enhance classroom lessons.
The technology already has boosted learning in science and social studies classes in the past year and will soon be used in math and English classes. Teachers used interactive whiteboards and laptops to develop lessons.
Students can research online, develop photo and storybooks, do assessments online, make instructional review games and develop projects, said former high school Principal Melanie Gehrens.
Morrisville received a dual enrollment grant last year, which allows students to take college classes while still in high school. Students were able to take Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Japanese via distance-learning college programs.
Students said that the dual enrollment courses helped prepare them and get ahead, according to Gehrens.
Thirty of last year’s graduating seniors accumulated a total of 197 college credits through the dual enrollment program. Currently, 41 students are enrolled to take dual enrollment college courses next year.
All schools made AYP in 2008-09, with significant gains in 11th-grade math scores. Proficiency scores increased 28 percent.
The school district serves more than 980 students in three schools. It employs 140 people and runs on a $19.8 million annual budget. For information, visit www.mv.org
WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS:
Superintendent: Dr. Elizabeth Hammond Yonson, 215-736-5930
Principals:
Morrisville Middle/Senior High School: TBA (Melanie Gehrens just left district), 215-736-5260
Grandview Elementary School: Kate Taylor, 215-736-52380
M.R. Reiter Elementary School, Karen Huggins, 215-736-5270
School board: William Hellmann (president), Alfred Radosti (vice president), Marlys Mihok (secretary), Brenda Worob (treasurer), William Farrell, John “Jack” Buckman, Joseph Kemp, Robin Reithmeyer, Gloria Heater. The board meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m., except in July, in the Large Group Instruction Room of the Middle/Senior High School on West Palmer Street. For information, visit www.mv.org.
SCHOOL CALENDAR:
Sept 3, First day of school Sept 30, Rosh Hashana – no school Oct 9, Yom Kippur – no school Nov 10, Clerical day – early dismissal Nov 25, Teacher conferences – early dismissal Nov 27, 28, Thanksgiving holiday – no school Dec 24-Jan 2, Christmas holidays – no school Jan 19, Martin Luther King Day – no school Feb 13, no school Feb 16, Presidents Day – no school April 8, Clerical day – early dismissal April 9-13, Spring Break, no school May 25, Memorial Day, no school June 16, Last day of school
FAST FACTS
Average SAT scores 2006 -2007: Verbal: 458 Math: 442
2006-2007 average teacher salary: $69,000 Number of AP courses: 15 Student/teacher ratio:
Elementary: 20:1 Grades 7-8: 20:1 Secondary: 22:1
District’s cost per student for elementary and for secondary:
Elementary $13,023.41 Secondary $14,214.71
Median income in the district: $53,316
Partnerships with businesses: UPS, Air Products, Waste Management, Silver Lake, Bucks County Workforce Investment Board Inc., School Works, Morrisville Collaborative, YMCA AYP Status: All schools made AYP
Computers enhance lessons
Students earn college credit for language classes in Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Japanese at the high school.
By MANASEE WAGH
Morrisville Middle/Senior High School recently received a Classrooms for the Future grant, enabling students to use more computers and integrated technology to enhance classroom lessons.
The technology already has boosted learning in science and social studies classes in the past year and will soon be used in math and English classes. Teachers used interactive whiteboards and laptops to develop lessons.
Students can research online, develop photo and storybooks, do assessments online, make instructional review games and develop projects, said former high school Principal Melanie Gehrens.
Morrisville received a dual enrollment grant last year, which allows students to take college classes while still in high school. Students were able to take Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Japanese via distance-learning college programs.
Students said that the dual enrollment courses helped prepare them and get ahead, according to Gehrens.Thirty of last year’s graduating seniors accumulated a total of 197 college credits through the dual enrollment program. Currently, 41 students are enrolled to take dual enrollment college courses next year.
All schools made AYP in 2008-09, with significant gains in 11th-grade math scores. Proficiency scores increased 28 percent.
The school district serves more than 980 students in three schools. It employs 140 people and runs on a $19.8 million annual budget. For information, visit www.mv.org
WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS:
Superintendent: Dr. Elizabeth Hammond Yonson, 215-736-5930
Principals:
Morrisville Middle/Senior High School: TBA (Melanie Gehrens just left district), 215-736-5260
Grandview Elementary School: Kate Taylor, 215-736-52380
M.R. Reiter Elementary School, Karen Huggins, 215-736-5270
School board: William Hellmann (president), Alfred Radosti (vice president), Marlys Mihok (secretary), Brenda Worob (treasurer), William Farrell, John “Jack” Buckman, Joseph Kemp, Robin Reithmeyer, Gloria Heater. The board meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m., except in July, in the Large Group Instruction Room of the Middle/Senior High School on West Palmer Street. For information, visit www.mv.org.
SCHOOL CALENDAR:
Sept 3, First day of school Sept 30, Rosh Hashana – no school Oct 9, Yom Kippur – no school Nov 10, Clerical day – early dismissal Nov 25, Teacher conferences – early dismissal Nov 27, 28, Thanksgiving holiday – no school Dec 24-Jan 2, Christmas holidays – no school Jan 19, Martin Luther King Day – no school Feb 13, no school Feb 16, Presidents Day – no school April 8, Clerical day – early dismissal April 9-13, Spring Break, no school May 25, Memorial Day, no school June 16, Last day of school
FAST FACTS
Average SAT scores 2006 -2007: Verbal: 458 Math: 442
2006-2007 average teacher salary: $69,000 Number of AP courses: 15 Student/teacher ratio:
Elementary: 20:1 Grades 7-8: 20:1 Secondary: 22:1
District’s cost per student for elementary and for secondary:
Elementary $13,023.41 Secondary $14,214.71
Median income in the district: $53,316
Partnerships with businesses: UPS, Air Products, Waste Management, Silver Lake, Bucks County Workforce Investment Board Inc., School Works, Morrisville Collaborative, YMCA AYP Status: All schools made AYP
Monday, August 18, 2008
Bensalem School District
BCCT Back to School/PSSA Profiles continue:
BENSALEM SCHOOL DISTRICT
Smaller first-grade, kindergarten classes
New district initiatives target young and special education students.
By JOAN HELLYER
As part of its improvement plan for 2008-09, Bensalem is reducing its class size for kindergarten and first grade to a maximum of 20 students.
The reduced class size will help improve the district’s youngest students’ academic development because teachers will have more time to focus on the individual needs of the students in the class, Superintendent James Lombardo said.
Bensalem also is expanding its full day kindergarten offers from two classes in the district to six.
Each of Bensalem’s six elementary schools will house a full-day kindergarten class, administrators said.
Plus, the district will begin offering 90 minutes worth of Spanish language instruction to all Bensalem third graders this year.
And, the district is making every effort to increase the time special needs students participate in regular education settings, he said. The goal is to provide the special education kids with more access to the district’s standards-based curriculum mandated by the state.
The Bensalem Township School District serves approximately 6,000 students in nine schools in a township of more than 60,000 people. The district employs more than 900 people and runs on an approximately $111 million budget. WHO’S WHO IN THE
SCHOOLS:
Superintendent:
James Lombardo, 215-750-2800, ext. 4100
Assistant Superintendent:
William Gretzula, 215-750-2800, ext. 4103
Principals:
Bensalem High School: Francis Perry, 215-750-2800, ext. 3000
Robert K. Shafer Middle School: William Incollingo Jr., 215-750-2800, ext. 2200
Cecelia Snyder Middle School: Deborah B. McKay, 215-750-2800, ext. 2300
Belmont Hills Elementary School: Marla Zeisler, 215-750-2800, ext. 1100
Cornwells Elementary School: Shawn Mark, 215-750-2800, ext. 1200
Samuel K. Faust Elementary School: Maribel Camps, 215-750-2800, ext. 1300
Benjamin Rush Elementary School: Mary Gentile, 215-750-2800, ext. 1400
Russell C. Struble Elementary School: Lana Judy, 215-750-2800, ext. 1500
Valley Elementary School: Mary Glaesser 215-750-2800, ext. 1600
School board:
President Harry Kramer, Vice President Lewis Brandt, James Bodnar, Rose Jacobs, Carol Jones, Carol McGuire, Heather Nicholas, Stephen Nowmos, and Eugene Rothenberg.
Meeting schedule: Generally the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. except in July in the boardroom of the Dorothy D. Call Administrative Center off Donallen Drive.
Note: The board’s first meeting in October will be Oct. 7 in observance Yom Kippur, which begins the following day at sundown on the second Wednesday of the month. Its second meeting of November will be Nov. 25 because the following day, the fourth Wednesday of the month, begins the district’s Thanksgiving holiday observance. And the board’s second meeting of December will be Dec. 17 because the district’s Winter Recess begins on Dec. 24, the fourth Wednesday of the month.
For more information, visit the district’s Web site, www.bensalemsd.org
2008-09 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept. 2, First day of school
Sept. 29, Act 80 Day, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
Sept. 30, Oct. 1, Rosh Hashanah holiday
Oct. 9, Yom Kippur holiday
Nov. 4, Election Day
Nov. 11, Veterans Day
Nov. 25, Parent conferences, no class for elementary students
Nov. 26, Parent conferences and Act 80 Day, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
Nov. 27, Nov. 28, Thanksgiving holiday
Dec. 24, Winter recess begins
Jan. 1, New Year’s Day
Jan. 5, Schools reopen
Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Day
Jan. 20, No school for elementary and middle school students and full day of class for high school students
Jan. 26, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Jan. 27, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Jan. 28, No school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Feb. 16, Presidents Day
April 8, Spring break begins
April 14, Students return to school
April 17, Parent conferences, no class for elementary students
April 20, Parent conferences, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
May 19, Election Day, professional development day
May 25, Memorial Day
June 10, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
June 11, Tentative last day of school for students, half day for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
2007 AVERAGE SAT SCORES:
Verbal – 471
Math – 476
Writing – 467
FAST FACTS ABOUT BENSALEM
2007-08 Average teacher salary:
$76,322
AP courses: 10 – American history, chemistry, calculus, English language, English literature, European history, government, physics, psychology and statistics
Student/teacher ratio:
Elementary schools, 15.6 to 1; Middle and high schools, 14.9 to 1
Cost per student: Elementary schools, $12,070 and secondary, $11,375.
Partnerships with businesses:
Commerce Bank, Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Ninety Nine, Texas Roadhouse, Smokin’ Dudes BBQ, Brown’s Family Shop Rite, Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Rita’s Water Ice.
2008 Adequate Yearly Progress status: Met AYP goal
BENSALEM SCHOOL DISTRICT
Smaller first-grade, kindergarten classes
New district initiatives target young and special education students.
By JOAN HELLYER
As part of its improvement plan for 2008-09, Bensalem is reducing its class size for kindergarten and first grade to a maximum of 20 students.
The reduced class size will help improve the district’s youngest students’ academic development because teachers will have more time to focus on the individual needs of the students in the class, Superintendent James Lombardo said.
Bensalem also is expanding its full day kindergarten offers from two classes in the district to six.
Each of Bensalem’s six elementary schools will house a full-day kindergarten class, administrators said.
Plus, the district will begin offering 90 minutes worth of Spanish language instruction to all Bensalem third graders this year.
And, the district is making every effort to increase the time special needs students participate in regular education settings, he said. The goal is to provide the special education kids with more access to the district’s standards-based curriculum mandated by the state.
The Bensalem Township School District serves approximately 6,000 students in nine schools in a township of more than 60,000 people. The district employs more than 900 people and runs on an approximately $111 million budget. WHO’S WHO IN THE
SCHOOLS:
Superintendent:
James Lombardo, 215-750-2800, ext. 4100
Assistant Superintendent:
William Gretzula, 215-750-2800, ext. 4103
Principals:
Bensalem High School: Francis Perry, 215-750-2800, ext. 3000
Robert K. Shafer Middle School: William Incollingo Jr., 215-750-2800, ext. 2200
Cecelia Snyder Middle School: Deborah B. McKay, 215-750-2800, ext. 2300
Belmont Hills Elementary School: Marla Zeisler, 215-750-2800, ext. 1100
Cornwells Elementary School: Shawn Mark, 215-750-2800, ext. 1200
Samuel K. Faust Elementary School: Maribel Camps, 215-750-2800, ext. 1300
Benjamin Rush Elementary School: Mary Gentile, 215-750-2800, ext. 1400
Russell C. Struble Elementary School: Lana Judy, 215-750-2800, ext. 1500
Valley Elementary School: Mary Glaesser 215-750-2800, ext. 1600
School board:
President Harry Kramer, Vice President Lewis Brandt, James Bodnar, Rose Jacobs, Carol Jones, Carol McGuire, Heather Nicholas, Stephen Nowmos, and Eugene Rothenberg.
Meeting schedule: Generally the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. except in July in the boardroom of the Dorothy D. Call Administrative Center off Donallen Drive.
Note: The board’s first meeting in October will be Oct. 7 in observance Yom Kippur, which begins the following day at sundown on the second Wednesday of the month. Its second meeting of November will be Nov. 25 because the following day, the fourth Wednesday of the month, begins the district’s Thanksgiving holiday observance. And the board’s second meeting of December will be Dec. 17 because the district’s Winter Recess begins on Dec. 24, the fourth Wednesday of the month.
For more information, visit the district’s Web site, www.bensalemsd.org
2008-09 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept. 2, First day of school
Sept. 29, Act 80 Day, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
Sept. 30, Oct. 1, Rosh Hashanah holiday
Oct. 9, Yom Kippur holiday
Nov. 4, Election Day
Nov. 11, Veterans Day
Nov. 25, Parent conferences, no class for elementary students
Nov. 26, Parent conferences and Act 80 Day, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
Nov. 27, Nov. 28, Thanksgiving holiday
Dec. 24, Winter recess begins
Jan. 1, New Year’s Day
Jan. 5, Schools reopen
Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Day
Jan. 20, No school for elementary and middle school students and full day of class for high school students
Jan. 26, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Jan. 27, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Jan. 28, No school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Feb. 16, Presidents Day
April 8, Spring break begins
April 14, Students return to school
April 17, Parent conferences, no class for elementary students
April 20, Parent conferences, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
May 19, Election Day, professional development day
May 25, Memorial Day
June 10, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
June 11, Tentative last day of school for students, half day for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
2007 AVERAGE SAT SCORES:
Verbal – 471
Math – 476
Writing – 467
FAST FACTS ABOUT BENSALEM
2007-08 Average teacher salary:
$76,322
AP courses: 10 – American history, chemistry, calculus, English language, English literature, European history, government, physics, psychology and statistics
Student/teacher ratio:
Elementary schools, 15.6 to 1; Middle and high schools, 14.9 to 1
Cost per student: Elementary schools, $12,070 and secondary, $11,375.
Partnerships with businesses:
Commerce Bank, Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Ninety Nine, Texas Roadhouse, Smokin’ Dudes BBQ, Brown’s Family Shop Rite, Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Rita’s Water Ice.
2008 Adequate Yearly Progress status: Met AYP goal
Sunday, August 17, 2008
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.
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.
Should PSSAs be factor in graduation?
Another in the BCCT series on the 2008 PSSA scores
Should PSSAs be factor in graduation?
By MANASEE WAGH
Though they place great value on increasing state assessment scores, most Bucks County school districts say they don’t consider those results the best indicator of academic performance.
As such, proficiency on the PSSAs shouldn’t be a determining factor for graduation, say many district officials. Most declined to provide percentages of how many students graduated with a less-than-proficient score.
“They have access to that data and whether they choose to provide it is up to them,” said Michael Race, deputy press secretary at the state Department of Education. To get a close estimation of how many graduates did poorly on the PSSAs, look at the number of graduates and the number of below-proficient scores during their junior year, he said, though that doesn’t provide the most accurate picture.
Comments across the county vary as to why PSSA proficiency shouldn’t be a graduation factor, but all respondents agree on one point: The state’s PSSA assessments don’t necessarily paint an accurate picture of a student’s abilities in the core areas of math and reading.
“The PSSAs are broad brush strokes of understanding,” said Barry Desko, Council Rock’s director of secondary education. The tests don’t measure how well a student may be performing in class, he said. Like other districts, Council Rock relies on other means of assessment besides the state exams.
Competency is based on how an individual performs in each curricular area through class work and course exams, Desko said.
“Kids in high school are taking so many tests. How many assessments do we need to give evidence of student achievement?” he said.
Desko’s sentiments were echoed in a number of other districts.
In Morrisville, which showed marked improvement in the PSSAs this year, students take quarterly assessments that are closely modeled after the state assessments. If an 11th -grade student fails to attain PSSA proficiency, he or she can graduate only after taking further steps.
Graduation requires a 2.0 grade point average as well as a good score on the quarterly district assessments in English and math. Students also must retake the state test in the fall of their senior year.
Those who fail to pass quarterly assessments must join small focus-instruction groups to strengthen the concepts they haven’t grasped.
“The problem is that the PSSA is one test,” said Elizabeth Yonson, Morrisville’s superintendent. During each quarter, the district is already teaching the state standards, she said. In fact, district quarterly assessments are more rigorous than the PSSAs, and the state wants to see Morrisville’s quarterly exams, she added.
The district has improved state assessment scores over three years because of curricular changes, demonstrating that the current system is working, said Yonson.
Centennial, Morrisville, New Hope-Solebury, Council Rock, Central Bucks, Palisades, Neshaminy, Pennridge and Pennsbury all said students usually do better on the PSSAs after retesting their senior year. Otherwise they have to complete other district assessments.
Palisades was one of the only districts to provide information about how many graduates did not pass the PSSAs.
About 14 percent of students in Palisades graduated this year with a less-than-proficient score in reading, while 22 percent of graduates did not pass the math PSSAs. In the writing assessment, 4.6 percent of graduates did not pass, said Rich Heffernan, principal of Palisades High School.
“Every district is different and every district has different challenges,” he said.
At Pennridge, 131 out of 587 graduates, or about 22 percent, failed one or more of the math, reading and writing tests after the second opportunity to take them, said Arlene Zielinski, the district’s assistant superintendent for programs. However, “a good portion” of those are special education students whose individual education plans were used for assessment instead, she added.
A disconnect exists between 11th -grade PSSA scores and graduation rates, said Sheila Ballen, director of communications at the state education department. At the same time, it’s a valuable means to evaluate a student, she said.
“The PSSA is a very good tool in assessing reading and math at certain grade levels,” Ballen said. “It gives us a good snapshot in time.”
From Steven Young’s point of view, the PSSAs are a gauge for whether students need more help in certain areas. Therefore, the goal is to attain a proficient or better score.
“However, this is an unlikely result given the variation in aptitude, disposition and life circumstance among students. It is also the case that some students simply do not test well,” said the New Hope-Solebury High School principal.
The way his district gets around a low score is by recognizing the individuality of each student, he said. Teachers use a variety of assessment tools to meet curricular objectives, including tests, project work, papers, oral assessments and formal presentations.
Young called this mixture of tools a “far superior” way to relying on the PSSA, “a single measure of progress.”
Before this year’s results were released, Superintendent Paul Kadri of Neshaminy, which failed to meet the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress standards, said the district doesn’t track how many graduates pass the PSSAs. Instead, it looks at a student’s individual education plan.
The district has implemented a kindergarten through 12-grade writing program as one way to improve scores next year.
In the meantime, state proficiency rate targets are increasing, from 54 percent in reading in 2007 to 63 percent this year, and 45 percent to 56 percent in math. By 2014, all students have to score proficient or better to keep up with federal No Child Left Behind standards.
Should PSSAs be factor in graduation?
By MANASEE WAGH
Though they place great value on increasing state assessment scores, most Bucks County school districts say they don’t consider those results the best indicator of academic performance.
As such, proficiency on the PSSAs shouldn’t be a determining factor for graduation, say many district officials. Most declined to provide percentages of how many students graduated with a less-than-proficient score.
“They have access to that data and whether they choose to provide it is up to them,” said Michael Race, deputy press secretary at the state Department of Education. To get a close estimation of how many graduates did poorly on the PSSAs, look at the number of graduates and the number of below-proficient scores during their junior year, he said, though that doesn’t provide the most accurate picture.
Comments across the county vary as to why PSSA proficiency shouldn’t be a graduation factor, but all respondents agree on one point: The state’s PSSA assessments don’t necessarily paint an accurate picture of a student’s abilities in the core areas of math and reading.
“The PSSAs are broad brush strokes of understanding,” said Barry Desko, Council Rock’s director of secondary education. The tests don’t measure how well a student may be performing in class, he said. Like other districts, Council Rock relies on other means of assessment besides the state exams.
Competency is based on how an individual performs in each curricular area through class work and course exams, Desko said.
“Kids in high school are taking so many tests. How many assessments do we need to give evidence of student achievement?” he said.
Desko’s sentiments were echoed in a number of other districts.
In Morrisville, which showed marked improvement in the PSSAs this year, students take quarterly assessments that are closely modeled after the state assessments. If an 11th -grade student fails to attain PSSA proficiency, he or she can graduate only after taking further steps.
Graduation requires a 2.0 grade point average as well as a good score on the quarterly district assessments in English and math. Students also must retake the state test in the fall of their senior year.
Those who fail to pass quarterly assessments must join small focus-instruction groups to strengthen the concepts they haven’t grasped.
“The problem is that the PSSA is one test,” said Elizabeth Yonson, Morrisville’s superintendent. During each quarter, the district is already teaching the state standards, she said. In fact, district quarterly assessments are more rigorous than the PSSAs, and the state wants to see Morrisville’s quarterly exams, she added.
The district has improved state assessment scores over three years because of curricular changes, demonstrating that the current system is working, said Yonson.
Centennial, Morrisville, New Hope-Solebury, Council Rock, Central Bucks, Palisades, Neshaminy, Pennridge and Pennsbury all said students usually do better on the PSSAs after retesting their senior year. Otherwise they have to complete other district assessments.
Palisades was one of the only districts to provide information about how many graduates did not pass the PSSAs.
About 14 percent of students in Palisades graduated this year with a less-than-proficient score in reading, while 22 percent of graduates did not pass the math PSSAs. In the writing assessment, 4.6 percent of graduates did not pass, said Rich Heffernan, principal of Palisades High School.
“Every district is different and every district has different challenges,” he said.
At Pennridge, 131 out of 587 graduates, or about 22 percent, failed one or more of the math, reading and writing tests after the second opportunity to take them, said Arlene Zielinski, the district’s assistant superintendent for programs. However, “a good portion” of those are special education students whose individual education plans were used for assessment instead, she added.
A disconnect exists between 11th -grade PSSA scores and graduation rates, said Sheila Ballen, director of communications at the state education department. At the same time, it’s a valuable means to evaluate a student, she said.
“The PSSA is a very good tool in assessing reading and math at certain grade levels,” Ballen said. “It gives us a good snapshot in time.”
From Steven Young’s point of view, the PSSAs are a gauge for whether students need more help in certain areas. Therefore, the goal is to attain a proficient or better score.
“However, this is an unlikely result given the variation in aptitude, disposition and life circumstance among students. It is also the case that some students simply do not test well,” said the New Hope-Solebury High School principal.
The way his district gets around a low score is by recognizing the individuality of each student, he said. Teachers use a variety of assessment tools to meet curricular objectives, including tests, project work, papers, oral assessments and formal presentations.
Young called this mixture of tools a “far superior” way to relying on the PSSA, “a single measure of progress.”
Before this year’s results were released, Superintendent Paul Kadri of Neshaminy, which failed to meet the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress standards, said the district doesn’t track how many graduates pass the PSSAs. Instead, it looks at a student’s individual education plan.
The district has implemented a kindergarten through 12-grade writing program as one way to improve scores next year.
In the meantime, state proficiency rate targets are increasing, from 54 percent in reading in 2007 to 63 percent this year, and 45 percent to 56 percent in math. By 2014, all students have to score proficient or better to keep up with federal No Child Left Behind standards.
All PSSA, All Day
The BCCT is devoting a large portion of today's edition, and this week, to examining the PSSA scores for the area.
ABCs The of your schools
PSSA: Changes coming to student evaluations
Revisions in the way special education students are evaluated could be in place by the 2009-10 school year, a state education department official said.
By JOAN HELLYER
The clock is ticking down to 2014.
But some area school districts could be in trouble if revisions are not made to the way special education scores are handled.
By 2014 the federal government wants all students to be learning on their respective grade level or higher.
Such performance is necessary to help students develop the academic skills they’ll need in adulthood, according to the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The federal government looks for proof of student performance levels, in part, in the results of standardized tests. The state administers the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests each spring to provide that information.
In response to the federal mandate, most local school systems have used a variety of methods in recent years to develop student ability. Some tactics have worked. Others have not.
Oftentimes, that’s because all students learn on grade level, educators say. Special education students, in particular, learn on grade levels three or four years lower than do their peers, educa tors said.
“It’s illogical to expect [the special education] population to perform at grade level,” said Bensalem Superintendent James Lombardo.
But yet they are expected to demonstrate grade-level proficiency on the PSSA mathematics and reading tests. The proficiency rate is a combination of students who scored in either the proficient or advanced range on the tests.
The special education students’ scores count as a subgroup against a school’s overall performance grade if at least 40 spe cial needs kids in a respective building take the test.
Larger numbers of schools are likely to fail to meet Adequate Yearly Progress status, as required by NCLB, if special education scores continue to be included in the results the way they are now, Lombardo said.
“That’s because the [proficiency] threshold keeps rising. That makes it very, very difficult for the subgroups to make it,” Lombardo said.
Changes in the way special education students are evaluated could be in place by the 2009-2010 school year, said Shula Nedley, director of the state education department’s Bureau of Assessment and Accountability.
In the meantime, the state added 13 percentage points to PSSA performance rates involving special education scores this year to see if that would bring the results into the proficient range.
But even with that extra 13 points, about a dozen local schools either received a Warning or face some sort of School Improvement or Corrective Action measures because not enough of its special needs students performed at grade level this year, according to state results released last week.
That despite the fact that the overall student population in some of the schools achieved healthy or near perfect proficiency rates.
In fact, only two local high schools, Neshaminy and Bensalem, will get a thorough going over by the state because both schools are in Corrective Action II status for more than one year.
NESHAMINY’S CHALLENGE
In Neshaminy’s case, not enough economically disadvantaged students earned a proficient score on the PSSA reading test. In Bensalem, not enough special education students achieved proficiency on the PSSA math and reading tests.
The state is looking at each situation individually to see what’s being done to correct the situation internally before it takes action, said Gerald L. Zahorchak, Pennsylvania’s education department secretary.
“Oftentimes it’s an inadequacy of funding in those districts. In terms of resources and quality, we’re building on that capacity,” the secretary said in a Thursday conference call from Harrisburg.
Those resources will be in addition to the variety of methods area schools and districts already use to develop and monitor student progress, local administrators said.
The methods include periodic student testing with programs like 4Sight and Study Island. The testing materials are paid for through a variety of resources, including general funds and state and federal grants, administrators said.
School systems have realized a benefit in using these monitoring tools they said.
It helps identify students who need extra help and provides students the chance to become aware of test content and techniques, said Pennsbury spokeswoman Ann Langtry.
In Centennial, the intervention efforts have proved most beneficial to William Tennent High School’s special education population, said Jennifer Foight-Cressman, the district’s director of teaching and learning.
Over the last two years, Tennent special education students demonstrated a combined 28 percent leap in performance at proficient and advanced levels, she said.
Given the special education students success, Tennent was able, for the first time in six years to make AYP by reaching “Making Progress” status, Foight-Cressman said.
ABCs The of your schools
PSSA: Changes coming to student evaluations
Revisions in the way special education students are evaluated could be in place by the 2009-10 school year, a state education department official said.
By JOAN HELLYER
The clock is ticking down to 2014.
But some area school districts could be in trouble if revisions are not made to the way special education scores are handled.
By 2014 the federal government wants all students to be learning on their respective grade level or higher.
Such performance is necessary to help students develop the academic skills they’ll need in adulthood, according to the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The federal government looks for proof of student performance levels, in part, in the results of standardized tests. The state administers the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests each spring to provide that information.
In response to the federal mandate, most local school systems have used a variety of methods in recent years to develop student ability. Some tactics have worked. Others have not.
Oftentimes, that’s because all students learn on grade level, educators say. Special education students, in particular, learn on grade levels three or four years lower than do their peers, educa tors said.
“It’s illogical to expect [the special education] population to perform at grade level,” said Bensalem Superintendent James Lombardo.
But yet they are expected to demonstrate grade-level proficiency on the PSSA mathematics and reading tests. The proficiency rate is a combination of students who scored in either the proficient or advanced range on the tests.
The special education students’ scores count as a subgroup against a school’s overall performance grade if at least 40 spe cial needs kids in a respective building take the test.
Larger numbers of schools are likely to fail to meet Adequate Yearly Progress status, as required by NCLB, if special education scores continue to be included in the results the way they are now, Lombardo said.
“That’s because the [proficiency] threshold keeps rising. That makes it very, very difficult for the subgroups to make it,” Lombardo said.
Changes in the way special education students are evaluated could be in place by the 2009-2010 school year, said Shula Nedley, director of the state education department’s Bureau of Assessment and Accountability.
In the meantime, the state added 13 percentage points to PSSA performance rates involving special education scores this year to see if that would bring the results into the proficient range.
But even with that extra 13 points, about a dozen local schools either received a Warning or face some sort of School Improvement or Corrective Action measures because not enough of its special needs students performed at grade level this year, according to state results released last week.
That despite the fact that the overall student population in some of the schools achieved healthy or near perfect proficiency rates.
In fact, only two local high schools, Neshaminy and Bensalem, will get a thorough going over by the state because both schools are in Corrective Action II status for more than one year.
NESHAMINY’S CHALLENGE
In Neshaminy’s case, not enough economically disadvantaged students earned a proficient score on the PSSA reading test. In Bensalem, not enough special education students achieved proficiency on the PSSA math and reading tests.
The state is looking at each situation individually to see what’s being done to correct the situation internally before it takes action, said Gerald L. Zahorchak, Pennsylvania’s education department secretary.
“Oftentimes it’s an inadequacy of funding in those districts. In terms of resources and quality, we’re building on that capacity,” the secretary said in a Thursday conference call from Harrisburg.
Those resources will be in addition to the variety of methods area schools and districts already use to develop and monitor student progress, local administrators said.
The methods include periodic student testing with programs like 4Sight and Study Island. The testing materials are paid for through a variety of resources, including general funds and state and federal grants, administrators said.
School systems have realized a benefit in using these monitoring tools they said.
It helps identify students who need extra help and provides students the chance to become aware of test content and techniques, said Pennsbury spokeswoman Ann Langtry.
In Centennial, the intervention efforts have proved most beneficial to William Tennent High School’s special education population, said Jennifer Foight-Cressman, the district’s director of teaching and learning.
Over the last two years, Tennent special education students demonstrated a combined 28 percent leap in performance at proficient and advanced levels, she said.
Given the special education students success, Tennent was able, for the first time in six years to make AYP by reaching “Making Progress” status, Foight-Cressman said.
Friday, August 15, 2008
WOW!! The PSSAs Are In!!!
From the Inquirer. Congratulations to Dr. Yonson, the staff, and the Morrisville class of 2009. Great work in spite of the distinct lack of support from your board of education!
"In Bucks County's 900-student Morrisville School District, this year's 11th-grade scores were a cause for celebration. They were among the top 10 most improved in the Philadelphia suburbs. In math, the students improved by 26 percentage points in one year.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said that the focus was on quarterly reviews of student performance, with "focused instruction on what they had not learned.""
Here's the link to the scores.
Phila. region improving its report card
By Dan Hardy, Kristen A. Graham and Dylan Purcell Posted on Fri, Aug. 15, 2008
Inquirer Staff Writers
Even as standards rise, more schools in Philadelphia and its Pennsylvania suburbs are making the grade in reading and math.
Still, weak spots remain. Across the state and around the region, high school scores and scores in underfunded districts continue to lag.
The region's gains buck a statewide trend. Overall, fewer Pennsylvania schools are reaching state goals - 72 percent of public schools passed, down from 78 percent last year, according to state data released yesterday.
In Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties, 79 percent of all schools made the mark, up from 78 percent last year.
City scores also improved. Of the Philadelphia School District's 265 schools, 113 - 43 percent - made the grade, up from 40 percent last year.
When charter schools are added to the mix, the overall city number rises to a 45 percent passing rate.
Still, the majority of Philadelphia schools - 57 percent in the school district, 55 percent overall - failed.
"We are pleased overall, but there is much more work to do," said Fernando Gallard, a district spokesman. Beginning next month, the district is dedicating $12 million to its 23 lowest-performing schools.
Students in third through eighth grade, plus 11th graders, take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment in reading and math annually.
To make "adequate yearly progress" under the federal No Child Left Behind law, schools must have 56 percent of students scoring at proficiency in math, up from 45 percent; 63 percent for reading, up from 54 percent.
To pass, all students must score at grade level, including those in special-education classes, poor and minority children, and those who speak limited English.
Gerald Zahorchak, state education secretary, noted that the number of students who passed the tests statewide was up 29 percent since 2002, the first year of the law.
But, he said, efforts must be made "to bring students to grade level, as many low-income and minority students still lag behind academically."
There is good news, though. The region - city schools included - dominates the top-10 statewide list.
Masterman and Central Highs topped 11th-grade reading and math lists.
Sharon Parker, superintendent of the Unionville-Chadds Ford District, which also made both math and reading top-10 lists, said there is no complacency in the wealthy, high-achieving district.
The high school failed to meet state standards last year because of the performance of special-education students, and "it was a startling moment for us," Parker said. "We did a good bit of revision in instruction, looking at reinforcement of basic skills."
This year, all groups at the high school met the standards.
Schools with significant funding gaps fared poorly overall, Zahorchak said.
The districts with the largest funding gap, for instance, average 78 percent more students performing below grade level, compared with districts with adequate resources.
The solution is for the state to follow through on a six-year plan proposed by Gov. Rendell that would send more dollars to underfunded districts, Zahorchak said.
High schools remain the state's "greatest challenge," Zahorchak said, with 42 percent not making the grade.
In the region, 46 percent, or 72 of the region's 158 high schools, did not pass the state exams. In the suburbs, 35 percent of 82 high schools failed.
In the suburbs, Pottstown and Bristol saw the biggest declines in 11th-grade reading and math scores - Pottstown's math scores dipped 13 percent, and Bristol's reading dropped 16 percent.
Simon Gratz High in Philadelphia saw sharp declines, 24 points in math and 17 percent in reading.
"At the current pace, without significant intervention, it would take 40 years for all of our 11th graders to meet state standards," Zahorchak said.
To address the problem, the education secretary called for schools to "provide a rigorous curriculum . . . regardless of where the student lives."
That's in keeping with Rendell's stalled plan to require all students to pass tests to graduate.
Gallard, the Philadelphia spokesman, said that the district would attempt to address high school scores by adding an office devoted specifically to the city's large, comprehensive high schools, many of which did not pass the state exam.
And though some laud the progress made by Pennsylvania students, Ted Hershberg, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the director of the Center for Greater Philadelphia and Operation Public Education, said the gains are "not good enough, not fast enough. Far, far too many kids are not getting the quality of education they need."
The state is not providing the kind of education needed to compete in a global economy, he said.
"There is no place for complacency here, yet that is what we find everywhere," Hershberg said.
Some schools that had not met the standards last year made the grade in 2008.
William Tennent High School, in Bucks County's Centennial School District, hit its goals for the first time in six years.
Jenny Foight-Cressman, Centennial's director of teaching and learning, said that the key was the work with special-education students, who raised their reading score at the high school by 18 percentage points. Data were monitored every two weeks, she said, and shared with students.
"That helps them set goals for themselves," she said. "They have responded very well; they have taken greater ownership over their own education. That's really exciting."
In Bucks County's 900-student Morrisville School District, this year's 11th-grade scores were a cause for celebration. They were among the top 10 most improved in the Philadelphia suburbs. In math, the students improved by 26 percentage points in one year.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said that the focus was on quarterly reviews of student performance, with "focused instruction on what they had not learned."
Even with the gains, the district still barely met proficiency standards on reading and was just below the benchmark in math. But Yonson said that for a district with high poverty and many transient students, "we're doing a great job, and we will continue to get better."
Montgomery County's Jenkintown district, which has an even smaller enrollment - 600 students - was among the top 10 in the suburbs for fifth grade, with increases of more than 30 percentage points.
"We say each individual child has to be accounted for and when a child is not getting it, we say, 'What are we going to do about it?' " said Superintendent Timothy Wade.
"In Bucks County's 900-student Morrisville School District, this year's 11th-grade scores were a cause for celebration. They were among the top 10 most improved in the Philadelphia suburbs. In math, the students improved by 26 percentage points in one year.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said that the focus was on quarterly reviews of student performance, with "focused instruction on what they had not learned.""
Here's the link to the scores.
Phila. region improving its report card
By Dan Hardy, Kristen A. Graham and Dylan Purcell Posted on Fri, Aug. 15, 2008
Inquirer Staff Writers
Even as standards rise, more schools in Philadelphia and its Pennsylvania suburbs are making the grade in reading and math.
Still, weak spots remain. Across the state and around the region, high school scores and scores in underfunded districts continue to lag.
The region's gains buck a statewide trend. Overall, fewer Pennsylvania schools are reaching state goals - 72 percent of public schools passed, down from 78 percent last year, according to state data released yesterday.
In Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties, 79 percent of all schools made the mark, up from 78 percent last year.
City scores also improved. Of the Philadelphia School District's 265 schools, 113 - 43 percent - made the grade, up from 40 percent last year.
When charter schools are added to the mix, the overall city number rises to a 45 percent passing rate.
Still, the majority of Philadelphia schools - 57 percent in the school district, 55 percent overall - failed.
"We are pleased overall, but there is much more work to do," said Fernando Gallard, a district spokesman. Beginning next month, the district is dedicating $12 million to its 23 lowest-performing schools.
Students in third through eighth grade, plus 11th graders, take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment in reading and math annually.
To make "adequate yearly progress" under the federal No Child Left Behind law, schools must have 56 percent of students scoring at proficiency in math, up from 45 percent; 63 percent for reading, up from 54 percent.
To pass, all students must score at grade level, including those in special-education classes, poor and minority children, and those who speak limited English.
Gerald Zahorchak, state education secretary, noted that the number of students who passed the tests statewide was up 29 percent since 2002, the first year of the law.
But, he said, efforts must be made "to bring students to grade level, as many low-income and minority students still lag behind academically."
There is good news, though. The region - city schools included - dominates the top-10 statewide list.
Masterman and Central Highs topped 11th-grade reading and math lists.
Sharon Parker, superintendent of the Unionville-Chadds Ford District, which also made both math and reading top-10 lists, said there is no complacency in the wealthy, high-achieving district.
The high school failed to meet state standards last year because of the performance of special-education students, and "it was a startling moment for us," Parker said. "We did a good bit of revision in instruction, looking at reinforcement of basic skills."
This year, all groups at the high school met the standards.
Schools with significant funding gaps fared poorly overall, Zahorchak said.
The districts with the largest funding gap, for instance, average 78 percent more students performing below grade level, compared with districts with adequate resources.
The solution is for the state to follow through on a six-year plan proposed by Gov. Rendell that would send more dollars to underfunded districts, Zahorchak said.
High schools remain the state's "greatest challenge," Zahorchak said, with 42 percent not making the grade.
In the region, 46 percent, or 72 of the region's 158 high schools, did not pass the state exams. In the suburbs, 35 percent of 82 high schools failed.
In the suburbs, Pottstown and Bristol saw the biggest declines in 11th-grade reading and math scores - Pottstown's math scores dipped 13 percent, and Bristol's reading dropped 16 percent.
Simon Gratz High in Philadelphia saw sharp declines, 24 points in math and 17 percent in reading.
"At the current pace, without significant intervention, it would take 40 years for all of our 11th graders to meet state standards," Zahorchak said.
To address the problem, the education secretary called for schools to "provide a rigorous curriculum . . . regardless of where the student lives."
That's in keeping with Rendell's stalled plan to require all students to pass tests to graduate.
Gallard, the Philadelphia spokesman, said that the district would attempt to address high school scores by adding an office devoted specifically to the city's large, comprehensive high schools, many of which did not pass the state exam.
And though some laud the progress made by Pennsylvania students, Ted Hershberg, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the director of the Center for Greater Philadelphia and Operation Public Education, said the gains are "not good enough, not fast enough. Far, far too many kids are not getting the quality of education they need."
The state is not providing the kind of education needed to compete in a global economy, he said.
"There is no place for complacency here, yet that is what we find everywhere," Hershberg said.
Some schools that had not met the standards last year made the grade in 2008.
William Tennent High School, in Bucks County's Centennial School District, hit its goals for the first time in six years.
Jenny Foight-Cressman, Centennial's director of teaching and learning, said that the key was the work with special-education students, who raised their reading score at the high school by 18 percentage points. Data were monitored every two weeks, she said, and shared with students.
"That helps them set goals for themselves," she said. "They have responded very well; they have taken greater ownership over their own education. That's really exciting."
In Bucks County's 900-student Morrisville School District, this year's 11th-grade scores were a cause for celebration. They were among the top 10 most improved in the Philadelphia suburbs. In math, the students improved by 26 percentage points in one year.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said that the focus was on quarterly reviews of student performance, with "focused instruction on what they had not learned."
Even with the gains, the district still barely met proficiency standards on reading and was just below the benchmark in math. But Yonson said that for a district with high poverty and many transient students, "we're doing a great job, and we will continue to get better."
Montgomery County's Jenkintown district, which has an even smaller enrollment - 600 students - was among the top 10 in the suburbs for fifth grade, with increases of more than 30 percentage points.
"We say each individual child has to be accounted for and when a child is not getting it, we say, 'What are we going to do about it?' " said Superintendent Timothy Wade.
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