From the BCCT.
PSSA proficiency could become grad requirement
Students would get several chances to raise their PSSA scores.
By MANASEE WAGH
Pennsbury is seriously considering making PSSA math and reading proficiency a graduation requirement.
If passed, the rule would take effect for the current junior class, which will take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams this spring.
District educators presented a plan of action to the school board about two and a half weeks ago. Board members were generally satisfied with the strategy, which would require students whose scores fall below proficient to undergo further training and testing. Educators would also look at a low-scoring student’s past schoolwork for evidence of aptitude in the weak areas.
“I was very happy with the plan they came up with. It satisfies a need and makes the test count for more than the requirements of the state or the federal government,” said board President Gregory Lucidi.
Board member Richard Johnson suggested one change to the plan.
Instead of allowing school educators to review a student’s studies, it would be more appropriate for a third party that doesn’t work for the district to review the work, he said at the October meeting. Lucidi concurred with Johnson’s opinion.
“It’s another outside check, so we’re not doing our own internal evaluations,” he said.
The third-party service could be provided fairly easily by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit No. 22, said Kevin McHugh, the district’s interim director of curriculum and instruction. No decision on an external evaluator has been finalized, but the graduation requirements team is continuing discussions, he said.
Twelve district educators and administrators, including McHugh, started considering the PSSA as a graduation prerequisite in August 2007 because it’s a way to increase student efforts to perform to their potential, said McHugh.
Since the state measures a school’s academic success using PSSA scores, districts have been looking for a way to motivate students to do well.
“There’s a sense that some 11th-graders don’t take it as seriously as maybe they could, so it’s not really a good measure of their ability,” said McHugh.
The school board is scheduled to vote on the final version of the plan Nov. 20, said Lucidi.
The proposed corrective action plan involves several steps. If a student scores basic or below basic on the 11thgrade PSSA, he or she would have the chance to take a summer remedial PSSA program.
In the fall of senior year, the student would be required to take a remedial nine-week PSSA course, as well as a retake of the exam in October. Because exam results wouldn’t be released until January, however, the student also would have to take a 4Sight assessment exam at end of the course. It’s a staterecommended test similar to the PSSA and provides another opportunity to demonstrate proficiency, said McHugh.
If the student still does not score proficient on either exam, he or she would have to take a comprehensive core assessment course during the spring semester of senior year, in which the student would develop a portfolio of work that demonstrates proficiency.
It would be the last chance to prove proficiency prior to graduation time. This time, low performance would mean no diploma.
“Instead, we’d be talking about summer school and possibly re-admission as a senior,” said McHugh.
Some special education students wouldn’t have to score proficient to graduate. They could graduate by completing their Individual Education Plans, McHugh said.
The district has also made curricular changes to ensure better understanding of core subjects in different grade levels over the last few years, he said, including more individualized reading courses and more math courses.
The changes also incorporate more reading and writing in social studies and science courses, McHugh said.
Showing posts with label testing in other districts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label testing in other districts. Show all posts
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
2 Out of 3 Ain't Bad? Now It's 1 Out of 2.
From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
In these days of mega-bailouts for mega-stupid financial decisions, this seems almost, well, reasonable. Try hard and you'll get 50%.
It's sort of like, a participation trophy to real life. You get half credit for respiration and a body temperature.
Yeah. Anyone try that with their boss lately? How did that turn out?
Hey, Mr. Landlord! I can pay 50% of the rent. Wait...Why are you throwing my stuff out the window?
Eyebrows raised over city school policy that sets 50% as minimum score
1+1=3? In city schools, it's half right
Monday, September 22, 2008
By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials say they want to give struggling children a chance, but the district is raising eyebrows with a policy that sets 50 percent as the minimum score a student can receive for assignments, tests and other work.
The district and teachers union last week issued a joint memo to ensure staff members' compliance with the policy, which was already on the books but enforced only at some schools. Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President John Tarka said the policy is several years old.
While some districts use "F" as a failing grade, the city uses an "E."
"The 'E' is to be recorded no lower than a 50 percent, regardless of the actual percent earned. For example, if the student earns a 20 percent on a class assignment, the grade is recorded as a 50 percent," said the memo from Jerri Lippert, the district's executive director of curriculum, instruction and professional development, and Mary VanHorn, a PFT vice president.
In each subject, a student's percentage scores on tests and other work are averaged into a grade for each of the four marking periods. Percentages for marking periods later are averaged into semester and year-end grades.
A student receives an "A" for scores ranging from 100 percent to 90 percent, a "B" for scores ranging from 89 percent to 80 percent, a "C" for scores ranging from 79 percent to 70 percent, a "D" for scores ranging from 69 percent to 60 percent and an "E" for scores ranging from 59 percent to the cutoff, 50 percent.
The district and union insist the policy still holds students accountable for performance.
"A failing grade is a failing grade," district spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said.
At the same time, they said, the 50 percent minimum gives children a chance to catch up and a reason to keep trying. If a student gets a 20 percent in a class for the first marking period, Ms. Pugh said, he or she would need a 100 percent during the second marking period just to squeak through the semester.
"We want to create situations where students can recover and not give up," she said, adding a sense of helplessness can lead to behavior and attendance problems.
"It's not grade inflation. We're not saying, 'Give people passing grades,' " Ms. Pugh said.
But the policy strikes some teachers and parents as rewarding bad work and at odds with the district's "Excellence for All" improvement campaign.
"Clearly, some people will not be pleased with this policy," Mr. Tarka said. But he added, "We stand by that decision."
Judy Leonardi, a Stanton Heights resident and retired district home economics teacher, said she objected to the notion that a student could "walk in the door, breathe the air and get 50 percent for that."
"I don't think it sets kids up properly for college, for competition in life," she said.
To Ms. Leonardi, a 20 percent score means a student isn't trying or needs more help with the material. Automatically putting 50 percent in the grade book, she said, doesn't help the student in either case.
"To me, it's morally wrong," she said.
Ms. Leonardi worries that the policy could cause high-performing students to goof off from time to time, safe in the knowledge that they wouldn't have to bounce back from anything lower than a 50 percent.
And she said one teacher she knows already worries about how awkward it will look when a student correctly answers three of 10 questions on a math quiz -- and gets a 50 percent.
The state Department of Education doesn't regulate grading scales, and schools and districts across the state use various models. Districts nationwide have debated use of a 50 percent minimum.
Northside Urban Pathways, a Downtown charter school, gives students zero credit for any work below a "C." Linda Clautti, chief executive officer, said that approach complements the school's college-preparatory mission.
"I have not had any complaints. We do parent surveys every year," Ms. Clautti said.
In a recent article in Harvard Educational Review, Freedom Area School District Superintendent Ron Sofo recounted an experimental program that he said helped to dramatically raise the math scores of struggling sixth-graders. Among other features, the program included "A, B, Not Yet" grading, in which students were required to redo work until it merited an A or B.
Some Freedom Area teachers opposed the special grading scale, calling it coddling of bad students, Dr. Sofo said.
In suburban Philadelphia, a Bensalem School District task force on testing and grading has recommended that 50 percent be the minimum score a student receive.
Superintendent James Lombardo said he's in favor of implementing the idea, partly as a fairness issue. He noted that a failing grade carries far more mathematical weight than any other grade if the "E" or "F" has a range of zero to 59 percent.
"I guess I laud the Pittsburgh district for recognizing some of the foibles of our numerical system," he said, adding low percentage scores sometimes are given to students because of their attitude or work ethic, rather than their level of accomplishment.
Asked whether she agreed with the 50 percent minimum, Regina Holley, principal of Pittsburgh Lincoln K-8 and president of the Pittsburgh Administrators Association, said: "Well, that's the board's policy, and that's what we have to use."
She said teachers and principals should take other steps to give parents a clearer picture of how their children are performing in class.
"Our school provides that to the parents in a conference. We provide it in a letter. We give it to the parents in a phone call," Dr. Holley said.
In these days of mega-bailouts for mega-stupid financial decisions, this seems almost, well, reasonable. Try hard and you'll get 50%.
It's sort of like, a participation trophy to real life. You get half credit for respiration and a body temperature.
Yeah. Anyone try that with their boss lately? How did that turn out?
Hey, Mr. Landlord! I can pay 50% of the rent. Wait...Why are you throwing my stuff out the window?
Eyebrows raised over city school policy that sets 50% as minimum score
1+1=3? In city schools, it's half right
Monday, September 22, 2008
By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials say they want to give struggling children a chance, but the district is raising eyebrows with a policy that sets 50 percent as the minimum score a student can receive for assignments, tests and other work.
The district and teachers union last week issued a joint memo to ensure staff members' compliance with the policy, which was already on the books but enforced only at some schools. Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President John Tarka said the policy is several years old.
While some districts use "F" as a failing grade, the city uses an "E."
"The 'E' is to be recorded no lower than a 50 percent, regardless of the actual percent earned. For example, if the student earns a 20 percent on a class assignment, the grade is recorded as a 50 percent," said the memo from Jerri Lippert, the district's executive director of curriculum, instruction and professional development, and Mary VanHorn, a PFT vice president.
In each subject, a student's percentage scores on tests and other work are averaged into a grade for each of the four marking periods. Percentages for marking periods later are averaged into semester and year-end grades.
A student receives an "A" for scores ranging from 100 percent to 90 percent, a "B" for scores ranging from 89 percent to 80 percent, a "C" for scores ranging from 79 percent to 70 percent, a "D" for scores ranging from 69 percent to 60 percent and an "E" for scores ranging from 59 percent to the cutoff, 50 percent.
The district and union insist the policy still holds students accountable for performance.
"A failing grade is a failing grade," district spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said.
At the same time, they said, the 50 percent minimum gives children a chance to catch up and a reason to keep trying. If a student gets a 20 percent in a class for the first marking period, Ms. Pugh said, he or she would need a 100 percent during the second marking period just to squeak through the semester.
"We want to create situations where students can recover and not give up," she said, adding a sense of helplessness can lead to behavior and attendance problems.
"It's not grade inflation. We're not saying, 'Give people passing grades,' " Ms. Pugh said.
But the policy strikes some teachers and parents as rewarding bad work and at odds with the district's "Excellence for All" improvement campaign.
"Clearly, some people will not be pleased with this policy," Mr. Tarka said. But he added, "We stand by that decision."
Judy Leonardi, a Stanton Heights resident and retired district home economics teacher, said she objected to the notion that a student could "walk in the door, breathe the air and get 50 percent for that."
"I don't think it sets kids up properly for college, for competition in life," she said.
To Ms. Leonardi, a 20 percent score means a student isn't trying or needs more help with the material. Automatically putting 50 percent in the grade book, she said, doesn't help the student in either case.
"To me, it's morally wrong," she said.
Ms. Leonardi worries that the policy could cause high-performing students to goof off from time to time, safe in the knowledge that they wouldn't have to bounce back from anything lower than a 50 percent.
And she said one teacher she knows already worries about how awkward it will look when a student correctly answers three of 10 questions on a math quiz -- and gets a 50 percent.
The state Department of Education doesn't regulate grading scales, and schools and districts across the state use various models. Districts nationwide have debated use of a 50 percent minimum.
Northside Urban Pathways, a Downtown charter school, gives students zero credit for any work below a "C." Linda Clautti, chief executive officer, said that approach complements the school's college-preparatory mission.
"I have not had any complaints. We do parent surveys every year," Ms. Clautti said.
In a recent article in Harvard Educational Review, Freedom Area School District Superintendent Ron Sofo recounted an experimental program that he said helped to dramatically raise the math scores of struggling sixth-graders. Among other features, the program included "A, B, Not Yet" grading, in which students were required to redo work until it merited an A or B.
Some Freedom Area teachers opposed the special grading scale, calling it coddling of bad students, Dr. Sofo said.
In suburban Philadelphia, a Bensalem School District task force on testing and grading has recommended that 50 percent be the minimum score a student receive.
Superintendent James Lombardo said he's in favor of implementing the idea, partly as a fairness issue. He noted that a failing grade carries far more mathematical weight than any other grade if the "E" or "F" has a range of zero to 59 percent.
"I guess I laud the Pittsburgh district for recognizing some of the foibles of our numerical system," he said, adding low percentage scores sometimes are given to students because of their attitude or work ethic, rather than their level of accomplishment.
Asked whether she agreed with the 50 percent minimum, Regina Holley, principal of Pittsburgh Lincoln K-8 and president of the Pittsburgh Administrators Association, said: "Well, that's the board's policy, and that's what we have to use."
She said teachers and principals should take other steps to give parents a clearer picture of how their children are performing in class.
"Our school provides that to the parents in a conference. We provide it in a letter. We give it to the parents in a phone call," Dr. Holley said.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Neshaminy isn’t ‘flunking’
From the BCCT. How odd to see a school board member defending their district...
Neshaminy isn’t ‘flunking’; overall performance is strong
I was very disappointed to see the Courier Times headline on Aug 15 proclaiming that the Neshaminy School District “flunked” goals related to state PSSA exams and the No Child Left Behind Act. It is obvious from both the headline and the article itself that the newspaper was trying to generate controversy; but it reflected a deep misunderstanding of the meaning of the districtwide AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) designations.
If a District “makes AYP” in one year, but does not do so the following year, its AYP status is changed to “Warning”; this is what happened in Neshaminy. If you had taken the time to look on the Pennsylvania AYP Web site (www.paayp.com), you would have found that this is not meant to indicate “passing” or “failing” (or “flunking”), but is better thought of as a flag that tells the district to look more carefully at specific areas that may warrant attention.
In Neshaminy’s case, we had several individual schools where small groups of special education students did not pass at sufficient rates, particularly in the Reading area. Consequently, we are undertaking new initiatives this year across the District, including reorganization and expansion of our reading coach program, and implementation of a K-12 writing program.
To see how unrelated AYP status is to overall district performance, consider the following:
Based on our combined District Math and Reading scores, in 2007 Neshaminy would be ranked 142nd out of 500 districts statewide, and we “made AYP”. In 2008, Neshaminy raised its combined scores and would be ranked 10 spots higher (132nd), but we failed to make AYP.
In 2007, Neshaminy’s combined scores were lower than Pennsbury’s and Centennial’s; all three districts made AYP. In 2008, Neshaminy’s combined scores were higher than Pennsbury’s and Centennial’s, but both of those districts “made AYP” while Neshaminy did not.
Downingtown is one of the top performing school districts in the state, ranking 36th out of 500 (93rd percentile) based on its combined scores in 2008, but did not make AYP.
Bensalem School District’s combined scores are ranked 345th out of 500, and the district made AYP.
Bristol Township School District’s combined scores are ranked 431st out of 500, and the District made AYP.
The point is not to judge any individual district’s performance. Instead, what this all makes clear is that district AYP status often has very little to do with overall performance on the PSSA exams. Certainly Neshaminy can do better, and we will continue to strive to improve our test results. But maybe next time the Courier Times will take just a little bit of time to look at what’s really happening, rather than printing misleading headlines that are worthy of the National Enquirer. Such irresponsible journalism not only fails to educate the public, but it plays into the hands of those who look to further political agendas rather than support efforts to improve our schools.
WILLIAM SPITZ
Middletown, is a member of the Neshaminy school board
Editor’s note: Use of the word “flunked” in the headline accurately reflected the school district’s “failure” to meet AYP goals.
Neshaminy isn’t ‘flunking’; overall performance is strong
I was very disappointed to see the Courier Times headline on Aug 15 proclaiming that the Neshaminy School District “flunked” goals related to state PSSA exams and the No Child Left Behind Act. It is obvious from both the headline and the article itself that the newspaper was trying to generate controversy; but it reflected a deep misunderstanding of the meaning of the districtwide AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) designations.
If a District “makes AYP” in one year, but does not do so the following year, its AYP status is changed to “Warning”; this is what happened in Neshaminy. If you had taken the time to look on the Pennsylvania AYP Web site (www.paayp.com), you would have found that this is not meant to indicate “passing” or “failing” (or “flunking”), but is better thought of as a flag that tells the district to look more carefully at specific areas that may warrant attention.
In Neshaminy’s case, we had several individual schools where small groups of special education students did not pass at sufficient rates, particularly in the Reading area. Consequently, we are undertaking new initiatives this year across the District, including reorganization and expansion of our reading coach program, and implementation of a K-12 writing program.
To see how unrelated AYP status is to overall district performance, consider the following:
Based on our combined District Math and Reading scores, in 2007 Neshaminy would be ranked 142nd out of 500 districts statewide, and we “made AYP”. In 2008, Neshaminy raised its combined scores and would be ranked 10 spots higher (132nd), but we failed to make AYP.
In 2007, Neshaminy’s combined scores were lower than Pennsbury’s and Centennial’s; all three districts made AYP. In 2008, Neshaminy’s combined scores were higher than Pennsbury’s and Centennial’s, but both of those districts “made AYP” while Neshaminy did not.
Downingtown is one of the top performing school districts in the state, ranking 36th out of 500 (93rd percentile) based on its combined scores in 2008, but did not make AYP.
Bensalem School District’s combined scores are ranked 345th out of 500, and the district made AYP.
Bristol Township School District’s combined scores are ranked 431st out of 500, and the District made AYP.
The point is not to judge any individual district’s performance. Instead, what this all makes clear is that district AYP status often has very little to do with overall performance on the PSSA exams. Certainly Neshaminy can do better, and we will continue to strive to improve our test results. But maybe next time the Courier Times will take just a little bit of time to look at what’s really happening, rather than printing misleading headlines that are worthy of the National Enquirer. Such irresponsible journalism not only fails to educate the public, but it plays into the hands of those who look to further political agendas rather than support efforts to improve our schools.
WILLIAM SPITZ
Middletown, is a member of the Neshaminy school board
Editor’s note: Use of the word “flunked” in the headline accurately reflected the school district’s “failure” to meet AYP goals.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Test Revolt?
Central Bucks school district news, from the Intelligencer
Directors talk of state test revolt
By CHRISTINA KRISTOFIC
The Intelligencer
Everything about Tuesday night's school board meeting was pretty routine, including the school board's vote to approve the state testing schedule.
But the discussion school board members had before they approved the schedule was anything but routine.
School board members discussed protesting No Child Left Behind and the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment by refusing to administer the test to Central Bucks students. The discussion came soon after the state Department of Education decided to make schools administer the PSSA in May. School district administrators objected and the Department of Education retracted its order.
“What happens if we opt out of No Child Left Behind?” board Vice President Stephen Corr asked.
No one knew the answer.
Superintendent N. Robert Laws said the district would probably lose the $4 million in federal funding it gets each year, which adds up to only about 1.5 percent of the district's total budget.
“We can't do that,” Corr said. “But this is a total waste of our time. It seems more and more ridiculous.”
School board member Chris Asplen asked if Central Bucks students who are applying to colleges would suffer from not taking the PSSA.
Laws said he doesn't think colleges consider PSSA scores when they look at a student's application.
The PSSA is the state's tool for determining whether school districts are meeting the requirements of No Child Left Behind, Laws said. It's also the way the state measures Pennsylvania's 501 school districts against each other.
“Just for our own public relations, where we stand in the state appears good for us,” school board member Thomas Baldwin said. “If you don't have something else the state uses as a benchmark, where does that put us?”
Several school board members suggested getting other school districts in Southeastern Pennsylvania, which typically score well on the PSSA but get little state and federal funding, to join them in a protest of the state assessment test.
School board President Geryl McMullin said, “The people at the Department of Education are not in touch with reality.”
“We have to get serious,” she said. “I think what matters here is what we're doing to kids. We're taking away valuable instruction time ... it's absurd.”
Asplen said he thought a protest would mean a lot coming from Central Bucks.
“I think we'd be able to get other districts,” Corr said. “But we're too late in the cycle to stop that now.”
Corr suggested looking at the issue again next year.
Laws said he would study No Child Left Behind, the PSSA and the consequences for school districts that do not participate.
“Public education is a function of the state. I'm an officer of the state. I'm commissioned by the state. You're commissioned by the state. I don't know what the result of a mutiny is,” he said.
“The state takes over your school district,” Corr answered.
“But I thought they already did.”
Directors talk of state test revolt
By CHRISTINA KRISTOFIC
The Intelligencer
Everything about Tuesday night's school board meeting was pretty routine, including the school board's vote to approve the state testing schedule.
But the discussion school board members had before they approved the schedule was anything but routine.
School board members discussed protesting No Child Left Behind and the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment by refusing to administer the test to Central Bucks students. The discussion came soon after the state Department of Education decided to make schools administer the PSSA in May. School district administrators objected and the Department of Education retracted its order.
“What happens if we opt out of No Child Left Behind?” board Vice President Stephen Corr asked.
No one knew the answer.
Superintendent N. Robert Laws said the district would probably lose the $4 million in federal funding it gets each year, which adds up to only about 1.5 percent of the district's total budget.
“We can't do that,” Corr said. “But this is a total waste of our time. It seems more and more ridiculous.”
School board member Chris Asplen asked if Central Bucks students who are applying to colleges would suffer from not taking the PSSA.
Laws said he doesn't think colleges consider PSSA scores when they look at a student's application.
The PSSA is the state's tool for determining whether school districts are meeting the requirements of No Child Left Behind, Laws said. It's also the way the state measures Pennsylvania's 501 school districts against each other.
“Just for our own public relations, where we stand in the state appears good for us,” school board member Thomas Baldwin said. “If you don't have something else the state uses as a benchmark, where does that put us?”
Several school board members suggested getting other school districts in Southeastern Pennsylvania, which typically score well on the PSSA but get little state and federal funding, to join them in a protest of the state assessment test.
School board President Geryl McMullin said, “The people at the Department of Education are not in touch with reality.”
“We have to get serious,” she said. “I think what matters here is what we're doing to kids. We're taking away valuable instruction time ... it's absurd.”
Asplen said he thought a protest would mean a lot coming from Central Bucks.
“I think we'd be able to get other districts,” Corr said. “But we're too late in the cycle to stop that now.”
Corr suggested looking at the issue again next year.
Laws said he would study No Child Left Behind, the PSSA and the consequences for school districts that do not participate.
“Public education is a function of the state. I'm an officer of the state. I'm commissioned by the state. You're commissioned by the state. I don't know what the result of a mutiny is,” he said.
“The state takes over your school district,” Corr answered.
“But I thought they already did.”
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