Study lists local schools that achieve, despite low-income populations
A study that, in part, concluded that more money doesn’t necessarily mean smarter Pennsylvania students pointed out several local schools with above-average low-income enrollment and above-average test scores. Standard & Poor’s School Evaluation Services “statewide insights” into Pennsylvania, released Tuesday on the Internet, listed the schools that “beat the odds” for the latest year the study reviewed.
Further narrowing the list, the report singled out Central Greene School District and six other of the state’s 501 school districts as doing well for three years running.
“We think to some degree it validates our basic mission. In our mission, we believe every student can learn, and it is our job to take them from where they are and elevate their achievement level. Fortunately, our staff believes that,” Superintendent Donald Painter said.
The 50-page report listed 31 school districts that, for 1999, had above-average Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) average mean scores, higher than 1303; average or above average participation in the test, more than 92.6 percent; and average or above average enrollment of economically disadvantaged students, more than 31.7 percent.
Central Greene’s figures were 47.1 percent low-income enrollment, 1334 PSSA mean composite score and 92.6 percent PSSA participation.
Central Greene is the only local school district that held the pattern for three consecutive years.
Last fall, for the first time through a four-year, $10 million contract with the state Department of Education, S&P looked at a variety of factors affecting individual school districts’ achievement and gave an update Tuesday on the state as a whole. The results are from data for academic years that ended in 1997 through 1999.
Among seven key observations, the report found that 60 percent of districts with above-average scores on state assessment tests had below-average spending.
At the same time, about one-third of districts with above-average spending had below-average scores.
“We’re not saying money’s not important, but it’s clear that spending levels alone are not necessarily strong indicators of student achievement,” William Cox, managing director of S&P’s School Evaluation Services, told the Associated Press.
They may do well with what they have, but Painter said school districts still need the money for such academic necessities as books.
“We believe that money is not the most important resource. We believe time is, the time that is actively spent on learning. However, money is one of the resources necessary to operate a quality educational system. We take the funds that are available and try to maximize the other resources,” Painter said.
Painter and other local educators have lobbied state officials to raise the state’s share of funding to the schools. They also have asked for a fair and predictable funding formula for how the state distributes money among the districts each year for basic and special education.
“The state could certainly help the local tax burden,” Painter said.
Albert Gallatin Area’s A.L. Wilson Elementary School, Connellsville Area’s Connellsville Township Elementary School, West Greene’s Graysville Elementary School and Belle Vernon Area’s Marion Elementary School were among the 81 elementary schools that “beat the odds” on PSSA scores and participation in the wake of low-income enrollment for 1999.
Connellsville Township showed an especially high percentage of low-income students, at 69 percent. The school topped the above-average PSSA mean composite score of 1314 with a score of 1315 and had 100 percent participation in the test.
Wanda Reynolds, Connellsville Area School District’s elementary curriculum director, quoted a common saying to the effect that students will rise to the level of expectation set for them.
“I think it has to do with the expectations we establish for our students. It doesn’t matter what economic level they are from. It’s our expectations and positive reinforcement that matters,” Reynolds said. “This may sound simplistic, but I’m giving my realistic view of this.”
At the combined elementary/secondary school level, Central Greene’s Margaret Bell Miller Middle School made the list of 30, and California Area School District’s kindergarten through eighth grade school was included.
Among the 54 secondary schools singled out was Central Greene’s high school as well as Laurel Highlands Junior High School, which showed 44.2 percent low-income enrollment, PSSA mean composite score of 1310 (above the 1298 average) and 90.6 percent participation in the tests.
Laurel Highlands School District Superintendent Dr. Ronald Sheba said he had not seen the report and could not make specific comments about the inclusion of the junior high on the list.
However, Sheba said trends must be considered, and it is hard to look at one point in time and make a judgment. For example, he said the classes of students who take the PSSA are cyclical.
The PSSA in math and reading is given each spring to fifth-, eighth- and 11th-graders. The tests are meant to measure academic standards outlined by the state in those subjects.
“Obviously, everyone is concerned about the standards and we’re working on our curriculum (to match the standards). A lot of times there is no quick fix,” Sheba said.
Sheba said Laurel Highlands fared well in the initial S&P report last fall that listed the school district among those that were spending less with better academic results than others.
Students have taken the PSSA three more times since the 1999 results being used among the S&P data in the current report. S&P plans to release an update on the individual school districts later this year with data from the 2000 academic year.
The statewide insights report on Pennsylvania, as well as all of the information on the individual school districts, can be found at the Web site www.ses.standardandpoors.com.