Despite better scores, district can still improve on state tests
JEFFERSON – While average scores on state standardized tests improved this year in the Jefferson-Morgan School District, a more in-depth review has revealed more room for improvement. Donna Furnier, director of curriculum and instruction, told the school board Tuesday that the scores are being broken down into four achievement levels: advanced, proficient, basic and below basic. The state Department of Education is using scores on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests to meet the guidelines enacted under the No Child Left Behind Act, she said.
Scores from the 2001-2002 school year are the first to be used as the baseline for comparison of a school district’s progress from year to year, Furnier said.
The statewide baseline for the 2001-2002 year was that 35 percent of the fifth-, eighth- and 11th-grade students who took the test scored as advanced or proficient in mathematics. For reading, the baseline level was 45 percent scored as advanced or proficient.
According to Furnier, all three grade levels met the baseline for reading, but only fifth grade met the mathematics baseline, and by 1 percent. In eighth grade, the number of students scoring in advanced or proficient was 25.4 percent, and the number was 30 percent for 11th grade.
While this year’s data was used as baseline information, the district has to meet those 35 and 45 percent figures by next year or, as Furnier told the board, “there will be consequences.”
She said the district will be included in a list of districts that did not meet baseline requirements. The state will publish that list later this month.
“I didn’t want you to see this information in the report without forewarning or explanation,” Furnier said.
Superintendent Dr. Charles Rembold said the district is reviewing the instructional delivery system, and one of his objectives this school year is to see that principals spend 60 percent of their time in the classroom. He has outlined what quality teaching is, and the district is trying to raise the standards of what kind of teaching is happening in the schools.
The district has restructured the curriculum in a variety of subjects and the impact of those changes will be felt this year, he said.
“I believe we will start seeing results from it,” Rembold said. “I think it is time to put these kind of changes into effect and to make sure that the curriculum is in line with the standards.”
He said the curriculum and the state standards for education were not matched and the changes in curriculum have closed the gaps between the two. Teachers are aware of the standards and will continue to review the latest score information at the next Act 80 day, he said.
Director Mark Pochron asked if teachers are working to make sure students are achieving or if they are teaching just to ensure that test scores improve.
“Just because they are teaching to the standards doesn’t mean they are teaching to the tests,” Rembold replied.
Furnier said the district will continue to review the data and develop strategies to work with students, adding that the breakdown in scores will actually help students.
“Instead of looking at the average of all kids, we can now look specifically at individual kids, and that’s a good thing,” she said. “Rather than separate and evaluate them by groups, all kids will have to be at a minimum, which the state defines as proficient.”
In other matters, directors held their annual reorganization before the regular meeting and voted to re-elect Ellen Hildebrand as board president and Remo Bertugli as vice president. Bertugli was re-elected to serve as the board’s representative to the Greene County Vocational-Technical School joint operating committee, with Cory Grandel to serve as alternate.
Directors Cecil Burton, Donna Shaffer and Mark Grimes were absent Tuesday, and Pochron was absent for the reorganization meeting.
Directors did make one change during the reorganization meeting, voting to change the time of their meetings from 6:30 to 7 p.m. on the third Monday of every month. The board will meet Tuesday, Jan. 21, and Tuesday, Feb. 18, because of holidays and will meet the first week of December 2003 for reorganization, as required by school code.