Local schools cited in S&P special report
Three Fayette County school districts made a financial analyst’s short list of school districts showing consistent improvement on Pennsylvania’s standardized math and reading tests. Standard & Poor’s named Brownsville Area, Frazier and Uniontown Area school districts among 51 of the state’s 501 school districts in the report “The Greatest Gains: Making Consistent and Significant Improvements” as part of an ongoing look at the school districts’ performance. This report covered 1997 through 2001 and was based on results of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA).
“I think it means a lot to the district, because we’ve been working so diligently on improving our scores since I arrived here,” Brownsville Superintendent Dr. Gerry Grant said.
Grant recalled that about three years ago, when she was a new superintendent, the school district was under a threat of being named by the state as an empowerment district, a designation given to poor-performing school districts that carries the ultimate threat of state takeover.
Not only did the school district get recognized as a whole, but Cardale and Hiller Elementary schools further were singled out among the top 25 percent of the elementary schools that showed consistent improvement. Cardale was identified in the report as making the most progress of any other elementary school in the state.
“After the four years we’ve been going through this (improvement) process, it (the S&P designation) put an explanation point to a job well done for our teachers,” said Cardale principal Annette Weaver.
She said Cardale was a school that needed to improve, and everyone focused on doing better.
On Brownsville, the report notes that the schools overall have shown improvement on the PSSA by an average of 14 points for four consecutive years. The report lists a 1272 mean scaled PSSA score for the district in 2001 and a passing rate of 47.7 percent.
Within Brownsville, Cardale logged an especially high 133-point average annual gain on the PSSA, for a 1445 mean score in 2001 and a 68.3 percent passing rate.
The average annual gain at Hiller was 65 points, for a mean PSSA score in 2001 of 1355 and passing rate of 68.5 percent.
Comparatively, the report notes the average gains per year on the PSSA tests for the state overall is 3 points, while the average score is 1319 and the passing rate is 56.3 percent. The report states some of the schools and districts on the list do not meet the state averages and continue to face challenges, but they are recognized for positive trends and can be used as models of effective practices.
Grant acknowledged that she would like for the school district’s overall scores to continue to rise, but she was pleased with the 14-point average annual gain.
She cited the district’s concentrated effort to match the curriculum taught by Brownsville teachers to the state academic standards that are tested on the PSSA. She said the teachers have worked hard, and the students’ achievement has improved.
However, she said efforts continue with the introduction of local testing that follows the standards.
Weaver said Cardale had a dip in reading scores with the 2002 results, but she said the scores were affected in the last school year when two of five elementary schools closed in the district and her school gained new students and faculty that needed an adjustment period.
She said a school cannot rest on its laurels with the PSSA and must continue to work on maintaining and improving students’ achievement. Grant said the teachers from among the schools also are working together to learn how all the schools may do well.
Frazier and Uniontown showed consistent progress each for three years, and Uniontown’s Lafayette School further was singled out.
Frazier had an annual gain overall of 19 points on the PSSA, a mean scaled score in 2001 of 1340 and a passing rate of 62.4 percent. Also, Frazier’s Central Elementary School was listed in the top 25 percent of the improved elementary schools, with an average annual PSSA gain of 53 points, mean 2001 score of 1445 and 80.3 percent PSSA passing rate.
Uniontown had a 24-point average annual gain on the PSSA and logged a 1315 mean scaled score in 2001 and 53.2 percent passing rate.
Lafayette School had special recognition as making the most progress among the state’s combined elementary/secondary schools. Listed in the top 25 percent of elementary/secondary schools that made consistent improvement, Lafayette gained an average annual 73 points on the PSSA. The school had a mean scaled score in 2001 of 1288 and passing rate of 47.2 percent.
Uniontown’s A.J. McMullen School was on the same list as Lafayette, having demonstrated a 38-point average annual gain on the PSSA. A.J. McMullen’s 2001 mean scaled score was 1310, and its PSSA passing rate was 48.8 percent.
Frazier and Uniontown officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Additionally, nearby Turkeyfoot Valley Area School District in Somerset County was recognized in the area for three consecutive years of PSSA improvement. The junior/senior high school was recognized among the top 25 percent of secondary schools, with a 38-point average annual gain on the PSSA, a 2001 mean scaled score of 1212 and a 35.2 percent passing rate.
That district had a 15-point average annual gain on the PSSA as well as a 2001 mean scaled score of 1222 and a passing rate of 35 percent.
S&P released what it identified as a special report on the “better performing” schools at its School Evaluation Services Web site on Monday.
More information is available at the Web site: www.ses.standardandpoors.com.