Pupils Failing Standardized Tests

By Sheena Delazio, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Sep. 6–In four of Luzerne County’s 11 school districts, more than half of the 2006 high school graduates failed to score at least proficient on a standardized test, according to a report released Wednesday.

The Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children released the report "Ensuring success for all high school graduates" detailing how 2005-2006 high school seniors scored on the 11th grade Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests in 2004-2005.

According to the report, in 2006, 45 percent of public high school seniors in Pennsylvania — about 57,000 students — did not score advanced or proficient on the 11th grade reading and math PSSA or 12th grade retake, or did not take the PSSA at all, yet received a high school diploma based on local assessments.

Among local school districts, Lake-Lehman, with a rate of 63.9, had the highest percentage of graduates who did not score proficient or advanced on the PSSA.

Other districts where more than half of the graduating seniors did not score well on the standardized test were: Hazleton Area, 58.7 percent; Pittston Area, 52.6; and Hanover Area, 55.1.

The best showing was by Wilkes-Barre Area, where three out of four graduates scored proficient or advanced on the state tests.

The PSSA, which assesses students in reading and math, is administered through the state Department of Education to students in grades 3 through 8, and 11.

Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 are assessed in writing. One of the requirements of graduation in Pennsylvania is that students score proficient or advanced on the PSSA in 11th grade.

But, the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, a research and analysis organizations, recommends that Pennsylvania eliminate the PSSA and use the Graduation Competency Assessments. The GCA, it states, would be more effective in assuring high school graduates have earned their diploma, and are ready for college or the workforce.

The GCA is a series of statewide, end-of-course exit exams which comply to state standards in English/language arts, math and science.

Students can graduate if they do not pass the PSSA if they pass a locally aligned assessment, along with complying with other graduation requirements within their district, such as completing a graduation project and having a good attendance record.

The GCA would be administered to students after completion of that subject, so the information is fresh in the student’s mind, which would enable the student to score better.

"The disparity between graduation rates and performance on PSSAs is cause for alarm," said Joan Benso, president and chief executive officer of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. "We have an obligation to our youth to take steps to assure that all students have met the Pennsylvania academic standards which prepare them for the next phase of their lives."

The report says school districts in Pennsylvania should be required to provide remediation to students who do not pass the GCA and the state should fund its share of the services.

"Any legitimate instrument that is truly measuring what is being taught is OK with me," said Jeff Namey, superintendent of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. "The PSSA is adequate. If there is a better test (such as the GCAs) that’s important too. But it’s also important how long (students) can retain the information, which is the advantage of the PSSA since they have to maintain that knowledge until 11th grade. "

Namey said his school district is constantly restructuring and tweaking its curriculum to prepare its students for the future, and prides the low percentage of students in the Wilkes-Barre Area who did not score proficient (only 24.6 percent) on the ever-changing curriculum and hard work of students and teachers.

Pennsylvania Partnerships recommends students should have multiple opportunities to take the GCA, which they said should be administered three times a year. Students who have met all graduation requirements, except passing the GCA, should be permitted to retake the exams after 12th grade, with no limit on age or number of retakes. The report says once students pass the assessments, they should be awarded their high school diplomas.

"We looked at the data and realized 45 percent of high school students graduated in 2006 and hadn’t scored proficient. We said to ourselves, can these local assessments really be aligned? We should be concerned about that. So we started to look at other states who had different testing," Benso said.

Currently, 25 states have or are phasing in mandatory high school exit exams which require students to pass an exam or a series of exams to receive a high school diploma, such as the GCA.

"We need to give kids a chance to achieve to the same high expectations and we believe school districts will rise to the challenge by increasing rigor and improving instruction as part of the reforms necessary to prepare our youth to succeed after high school," Benso said.

By 2012, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children hopes that more than 70 percent of all American public high school students will be required to take and pass one or more exit exams to receive a high school diploma.

Want to know more?

Local school district PSSA numbers

The complete report, along with information on all Pennsylvania school districts, can be found on the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children Web site at www.papartnerships.org.

District % of graduates who did not score proficient on PSSA (2004-2005 tests)

No. of students who

did not score proficient (2004-2005 tests) No. of graduates 2005-2006 % of graduates planning to further education Crestwood 35.3% 89 252 89.3% Dallas 45 % 95 211 88.6%

Greater

Nanticoke 43.6% 79 181 75.1%

Hanover

Area 55.1% 107 194 60.8%

Hazleton

Area 58.7% 413 704 72.7% Lake-Lehman 63.9% 101 158 84.4%

Northwest

Area 48.9% 40 82 75.6% Pittston Area 52.6% 132 251 82.1% Wilkes-Barre Area 24.6% 129 524 76.7%

Wyoming

Area 37.4% 77 206 94.2% Wyoming Valley West 47.2% 158 335 78.5%

Sheena Delazio, a staff writer for The Times Leader, can be reached at 970-7235.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

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