Local principal talks about test score success
Editor’s note: This story is the second in a two-part series exploring the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment and its effects on local schools.To William Raho, the secret to success on the state’s standardized tests is obvious. The principal at George C. Marshall Elementary School in the Laurel Highlands School District said students can’t help but score well on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) if teachers follow the academic standards the state has set for what kids should know and when.
“It’s good solid teaching and drill on the part of teachers in the classroom in the subjects concerned and across the subjects,” he said. “If they teach what they are to teach, it translates to the test. No need to teach to the test. You don’t have to teach to the test if you are teaching to the standards curriculum and if you are teaching what you are supposed to on your grade level.”
Last school year’s fifth-grade class scored well above the statewide average on the PSSA in both math and reading. Their mean scaled score in math was 1470 and in reading was 1400, compared to the average of 1320. Also, 55.6 percent of the class scored at the advanced performance level, and 27.8 percent of the class proficient, while 27.3 scored advanced in reading and 45.5 percent of the class was proficient. Of 54 students, 45 scored either advanced or proficient in math. In reading, out of 54 students, 40 scored either advanced or proficient.
Raho was understandably proud of the now sixth-graders and fifth-grade teachers Cindy Amber and Newton Yauger.
“I was thrilled when I saw the scores. I wasn’t surprised, because this class is an exceptional class at Marshall. They have been since kindergarten. I told (Laurel Highlands Superintendent Dr. Ronald Sheba) last year that I thought the fifth grade would perform exceptionally well, and they did. When I saw the scores I was proud and excited. I could hardly wait to share them,” he said. “We had an ice cream party for the sixth grade, and I complimented them in class and made an announcement on the public address system. This fifth grade can do as well if not better.”
Raho said it takes a team effort that starts with his enthusiasm and motivation for learning. His theory is that if the school principal is excited about education, the feeling trickles down to the teachers, students and parents.
At the beginning of the school year, Raho explained the diagnostic reading, math and writing tests so the students would be familiar with the format of the test and the teachers would have the ability to apply the format in their classroom throughout the year.
The state Department of Education has released sample tests and examples of answers. Literature and a variety of supplemental materials also are available.
Raho said he passes on anything he gets to his teachers, who all apply the academic standards across the curriculum from kindergarten to sixth grade.
The fifth grade each year takes the PSSA tests in math and reading. Sixth-graders take the PSSA in writing.
This school year, the third grade will take the math and reading tests for the first time.
“Our classrooms are self-contained, and this is an advantage. It allows our teachers to know the students throughout in reading and math and content, too. They are able to pick up on the strengths and weaknesses in the classroom,” he said.
“This all begins down in the primary grades with teachers following the academic standards by the state, and it’s all the way through the grades with emphasis on fifth grade taking the PSSA. We also have communication between the teachers. They know what they taught, and they apply the academic standards, which is very, very important.”
Raho had a further breakdown of the students’ mean scaled scores that included such highlights as 1530 for “statistics and data analysis,” 1510 for “math problem solving” and 1400 for “learning to read independently.”
Raho attributed the students’ ability to read to a daily exercise in reading and writing.
Twenty minutes is dedicated to sustained silent reading and sustained silent writing. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are for reading, and Tuesday and Thursday are for writing.
“The bell rings at 10 ’til 3 every day and everything stops and they read or write. It’s a fine way to end the day,” Raho said.
However, learning does not end when the students leave the school.
Raho said parents also play a role in student achievement, particularly by encouraging their children to do well.
He recommends that parents read to their children, especially the younger ones, and pay attention to their children’s schoolwork. Each student at Marshall has a folder and a journal to take home with assignments for parents to review and sign.
“The connection between the home and the school is one of my objectives,” he said.
An educator 43 years, Raho was a teacher 16 of those years and principal at Marshall for 22 years. He has seen trends in education come and go, but he said academic standards and related testing are more than a “passing fancy.”
To Raho, the standards make educators more accountable, and following such a set of criteria becomes even more important with enforcement of the No Child Left Behind Act, the re-authorized federal education law that in part calls for annual school progress. The federal law requires that schools provide for every child in the classroom.
“You have children at different levels and with different backgrounds. They are not all of the same ability, so you take them from where they are and move them forward,” he said.
Before the test, Raho holds an assembly to tell the students the test is coming up. He tells them to be present for the test and do their best. They are told to get a good night’s rest and make sure they eat a good breakfast. On test day, the students are given free breakfast at school.
“That’s all we ask them is to do their best. We try not to pressure them or get them worked up,” he said.
Tips and advice aside, Raho said he tells those who ask how his school manages to score well on the PSSA that teaching is the key.
“You can share on paper, you can share what you do. But when that teacher closes the door, that’s when it matters,” he said.