Oct 21, 2002 By Josh Krysak 3 min read

After having two schools named to the U.S. Department of Education’s improvement list last April, the Albert Gallatin Area School District has received results from the most recent Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests, and the results are mixed, but positive. According to a local summary that the school district made based on the results received from the state, six schools scored higher than they did in 2001, four schools lower and one school’s scores went up in reading and down in math.

The two schools that are on the state’s list for improvement, Masontown Elementary and Friendship Hill Elementary, received mixed results. While Friendship Hill improved in math by 60 points and reading by 80, Masontown dropped 20 points in math and 30 points in reading. Superintendent Walter Vicinelly said that while the improvement was not across the board, he is pleased with the latest results and that the status of the two named schools, as of now, has not been changed.

“We took the scores and we are analyzing the data, and there are a lot of positives in regards to the test scores,” Vicinelly said. “We had two schools that were in school improvement and we really haven’t got any information from the state as far as the schools’ status.”

In April, the U.S. Department of Education, in conjunction with the states’ education departments, announced that 8,600 schools nationwide did not meet academic standards for two consecutive years and that school choice must be offered under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

In Pennsylvania, inclusion on the list is based primarily on students’ performance on the PSSA tests. Schools that fail to move 5 percent of their students into the top two performance levels of the test for two consecutive years are included on the list.

Masontown and Friendship Hill elementary schools were the only local schools named to the list that included the school choice option. Smithfield and D. Ferd Swaney elementary schools were named to the school improvement list but required no specific action.

Masontown and Friendship Hill were required to provide students with the school choice option because of their scores in 2001, and, according to the state’s standards, Masontown, in addition to the school choice option, will have to include supplemental services like tutoring this year. If a school is listed a third year, the district must offer both options and take appropriate action to improve.

According to Vicinelly, the district’s overall improvements are a result of taking action to correct the problem and the hard work of the Albert Gallatin staff.

“We made progress in several of our schools,” said Vicinelly. “We had a couple of our schools in certain areas go down a little bit, but with the things that we put into effect as far as school improvement action plans, aligning the curriculum, reviewing instructional strategies and involving the parents, we hope that we are making the turn now and keep gradually improving.”

Vicinelly added that while some schools’ test scores went down, many remain above the state average, something he said reflects the dedication of administrators and staff throughout the district.

The district is still working to improve test scores by adding an additional teacher at Masontown and one at Friendship Hill. The teachers will assume a new position, intervention support person, and will help the students and teachers to focus on the skills required for the PSSA tests.

While Vicinelly admits that the scores can still improve, he thinks that small steps are required for the schools to turn around.

“I think that gradual steps will turn to sustained improvement,” he said.