{"id":15344,"date":"2015-08-21T02:49:56","date_gmt":"2015-08-21T02:49:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/independentweekender.com\/?p=15344"},"modified":"2015-08-21T02:49:56","modified_gmt":"2015-08-21T02:49:56","slug":"with-new-standards-pssa-scores-plummet-across-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2015\/08\/21\/with-new-standards-pssa-scores-plummet-across-region\/","title":{"rendered":"With new standards, PSSA scores plummet across region"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL<\/strong>
\n Times-Shamrock Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Changes in state standardized tests equal plummeting scores for school districts across Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

With the switch to a more rigorous curriculum and a new standard for proficiency, school districts in the region saw declines of 80 percent or more in the number of students making the grade.<\/p>\n

In Old Forge, that means only 13 percent of students in eighth grade scored at proficient or advanced levels in math, down from 79 percent in 2014. In North Pocono, math proficiency at the middle school went from 76 percent to 38 percent. At Valley View, eighth-grade math proficiency dropped from 74.4 percent to 18 percent.<\/p>\n

The declines have area educators frustrated with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Educators are evaluating curriculum and preparing for a barrage of questions from parents and taxpayers. Superintendents also fear that when the state releases the results this fall, teachers and students will suffer low morale. Some students who previously scored at advanced levels will learn they are now at basic or below basic levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know our teachers worked extremely hard. Our students worked hard,\u201d Old Forge Superintendent John Rushefski said. \u201cIt\u2019s disheartening when you get the results you get.\u201d<\/p>\n

Statewide drop
\nEach spring, students in third through eighth grades take Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests in English and math. Students in grades four and eight also take science tests, and fifth and eighth graders also take writing tests. High school students take end-of-course Keystone exams.<\/p>\n

Tests taken this spring were the first to be fully aligned with the new, more rigorous PA Core Standards, the state\u2019s version of Common Core standards.
\nFor several years, area districts have transitioned to the new curriculum. Due to heightened standards, some material is being tested a full academic year earlier than under the former standards, according to the Department of Education. Cut scores also changed this year, meaning students must achieve more correct answers to receive proficient or advanced status.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to remember the assessment has changed, and due to the increased rigor of the standards a dip in scores is anticipated,\u201d Nicole Reigelman, spokeswoman for the department, wrote in an email.<\/p>\n

The state has not released scores to the public, but a statewide analysis by WHYY\/Newsworks showed that the proficiency rates in grades three through eight dropped on average by 35.4 percentage points in math and 9.4 percentage points in English. The department plans to fully release the scores in the next month, and parents should receive their children\u2019s scores in September.<\/p>\n

The state discourages comparing this year\u2019s proficiency rates to last year\u2019s scores, and instead calls this year\u2019s scores a new baseline for measuring future growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the next several years, (the state Department of Education) anticipates student performance should grow steadily as resources return to the classroom, and students and teachers become more familiar with the PA Core,\u201d Ms. Reigelman said. \u201cThe Wolf administration and (the department) believe standardized assessments should not be the sole indicator of student success, but must be considered as part of a comprehensive appraisal of student growth and academic achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local concerns
\nLocal school officials have spent the last few weeks deciphering their results. The state has not released figures, but a sample of scores provided by districts shows that proficiency rates have decreased. While reading scores have also decreased, the biggest drops are in math scores.<\/p>\n

In Scranton, fourth-graders who scored on the proficient level in math dropped from 32 percent to 22 percent. The percentage of students who scored at the advanced level was unavailable Friday. Total proficiency is generally considered the total number of students who score at proficient or advanced levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t misinterpret why they are lower,\u201d said new Superintendent Alexis Kirijan, Ed.D. \u201cOur students are still the same students, at the same level. What has changed is we\u2019re grading them differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Valley View, for example, third-grade total math proficiency dropped from 75.2 percent to 49 percent. Eighth-grade math proficiency dropped from 74.4 percent to 18 percent.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first glance, when you look at the numbers, you can\u2019t help but think, \u2018Oh my gosh, this is alarming,\u2019\u201d said Michael Boccella, the district\u2019s director of curriculum and instruction.<\/p>\n

While the scores are primarily an issue of perception, the district is working to strengthen curriculum and increase rigor in the classroom, he said.<\/p>\n

Superintendents are also concerned about the message the test results will send to students. For example, if a student took algebra in eighth grade, he or she could have passed the end-of-course Keystone exam but scored at the basic level on the PSSA test.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn one end, kids are being extremely successful, but yet they\u2019re not successful on the PSSA,\u201d said Bryan McGraw, North Pocono superintendent. \u201cWe really have to get some guidance from the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Educators also wonder how the test results will affect districts\u2019 school performance profile scores, which are released in the fall, and how test scores will affect the new evaluation system for teachers and principals.<\/p>\n

The drop in scores puts the validity of the exams in jeopardy, Riverside Superintendent Paul Brennan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they were going to roll it out like they did, they should have put some shock absorbers into the process and the new assessments,\u201d he said. \u201cNow, we are the ones left facing the music.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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