Showing posts with label PSSA scores. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PSSA scores. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Congratulations, Timmy

Did everyone fall off their chairs? The results are in. PA updates PSSA and Keystone scores for schools statewide

The results available today show that Mt. Lebanon High School is the top performing school in Allegheny County with an academic score of 99.5. Six other schools, including elementary schools, in the state performed higher, with the Downingtown STEM Academy in Chester County at the top with 101.4.
See Mr. Ewing? I can give credit where it is due. I guess this is when you make your pitch for PK. Good luck with that. Now if we could just hang on to our principals or is it principles?

Looks like high school students are off tomorrow due to a water main break.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

District Balanced Scorecard

The District Balanced Scorecard has been posted on the district website here.

Balanced Scorecard
The Mt. Lebanon School District’s Balanced Scorecard, aligned to the four strategic plan goals, is the focus for data collection. The Balanced Scorecard is used by School Board members, District senior staff, and community members to analyze the general performance of the District. The Balanced Scorecard is used by department personnel to analyze how well the strategies defined in the District strategic plan are working, if targets are being met and outcomes achieved, and if improvement activities need to be initiated. The Balanced Scorecard is used by staff members to monitor performance and determine improvement priorities, and is an essential part of school improvement planning.
 Data analysis will be used to determine performance levels and may identify new opportunities for improvement.  Mt. Lebanon staff members believe that, if the strategic plan goals are valued, then the goals need to be measured.   If the goals are not measured, improvement may not occur, and goals may never be achieved.  
Since the Balanced Scorecard is a work in progress, this pdf is dated 11/4/13.
Balanced Scorecard 11/4/13  PSSA scores show that District writing went up, while reading, math, and science scores declined.

Does the Jimmy Dean Sausage guy remind you of anyone?

Saturday, April 13, 2013

PA House Bill 1901: A Game Changer?

PA House Bill 1901 was passed in 2012 and has many provisions which could be a game changer for the school board. I hope they are following it closely. Here is the entire bill. HB 1901

In it, school board directors must give superintendents a minimum 150 day notice prior to the end of their contract during a regular board meeting, or the super's contract will be automatically renewed for the similar length of time. See page 32 of HB 1901. See page 37-38 for terminating assistant superintendents.

On page 36 of HB 1901, the school board must post the superintendent's and assistant superintendents' date of evaluation and whether they met their goals on the district website.

Starting in 2013-14, teacher evaluations will change. NEW EDUCATOR EVALUATION SYSTEM in 2014-15, principals (Nonteaching Professional Employees) evaluations will no longer be based primarily on PSSA scores.



Evaluation Criteria for “Nonteaching Professional Employees.” Nonteaching professional employees will be evaluated in the 2014-15 school year with a new system that considers the following areas of performance:

1) planning and preparation; 2) educational environment; 3) delivery of service; and 4) professional development. PDE is currently working on specific rubrics for pupil services personnel that reflect
these four categories. School-wide student performance measures must comprise 20 percent of a nonteaching professional employee’s overall rating. Specific elements of this measure will be established by PDE prior to 2014-15.
PSSAs will account for 15% of principals' evaluations. See page 42 of HB 1901.

The bill also allows, in terms of school finances, a provision for reopening budgets.

There is so much more in the 95 page bill that I hope readers will enlighten us of more changes.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

PSSA 'opt-out' movement growing

Staff reporter Kari Andren has an article in the Trib, Pennsylvania parents take stand against standardized tests.

As students prepare to take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams this week, a growing number of parents are refusing to let their children take the high-stakes standardized exams aimed at showing which schools are excelling or failing.
We can see the what is at stake with the PSSA scores.  Just ask any administrator at Mt. Lebanon as I mentioned here. PSSAs - No pressure here

The performance on the PSSAs are the primary metrics used by the
Superintendent and Board to evaulate how the principals leadership has impacted student achievement.
With Mt. Lebanon prepping kids for the PSSAs, we can see the pay-off in the Pittsburgh Business Times Guide to Western Pennsylvania Schools. We've moved up to Number 2 in the State.  Evan though it is budget crunch time, jobs are secure and raises are guaranteed.

Ms. Andren had contacted me, in hopes that I could steer her to Mt. Lebanon parents, but none were willing to come forward.

Dr. Timothy Slekar, founder of United Opt Out and Lebo Citizens commenter, did speak with Ms. Andren.
Slekar excluded his son, Luke, from standardized tests three years ago and helped found United Opt Out, a national group that protested standardized testing this weekend in Washington with a sit-in outside the Department of Education and a march to the White House.
A few opt-outs does not impact Mt. Lebanon's scores, but if enough parents opt-out their kids, we will fail to meet AYP, or Adequate Yearly Progress.  What does that mean? Read more here Some Children Left Behind or here About making AYP for students with disabilities UPDATED 2x or here Yes, he is very deserving. UPDATED

Parents, make sure your kids get enough sleep this week.  There is quite a bit at stake here.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Draw your own conclusions

Examining the 2013 Guide to Western Pennsylvania Schools published by the Pittsburgh Business Times, I was able to come up with more details per school.  I continually get comments from snipers, accusing me of putting negative slants on articles. Draw your own conclusions, folks. You are not going to see this on the school district website.






% scoring superior
% scoring superior
% scoring superior
2013
2012
School
Grade
Math
Reading
Writing
Science
1
1
USC
11
90
93
98
75
2
2
MTL
11
90
94
99
74
                                   





% scoring superior
% scoring superior
% scoring superior
2013
2012
School
Grade
Math
Reading
Writing
Science
1
1
Ft. Couch (USC)
8
99
99
98
91
2
4
Jefferson MS
8
94
99
94
90
8
10
Mellon MS
8
93
95
92
90
                                   





% scoring superior
% scoring superior
% scoring superior
2013
2012
School
Grade
Math
Reading
Writing
Science
1
1
Ft. Couch (USC)
7
98
96
NA
NA
2
5
Jefferson MS
7
96
97
NA
NA
7
8
Mellon MS
7
95
98
NA
NA






% scoring superior
% scoring superior
% scoring superior
2013
2012
School
Grade
Math
Reading
Writing
Science
4
3
Boyce (USC)
6
96
94
NA
NA
5
7
Jefferson MS
6
95
92
NA
NA
25
26
Mellon MS
6
93
87
NA
NA







% scoring superior
% scoring superior
% scoring superior
2013
2012
School
Grade
Math
Reading
Writing
Science
2
3
Lincoln
5
100
97
95
NA
4
4
Aiken (KO)
5
94
89
97
NA
5
5
Howe
5
93
96
83
NA
7
16
Foster
5
98
93
100
NA
13
49
Hoover
5
93
88
91
NA
16
13
Jefferson
5
86
93
89
NA
30
33
Markham
5
91
83
88
NA
40
38
Washington
5
87
83
82
NA






% scoring superior
% scoring superior
% scoring superior
2013
2012
School
Grade
Math
Reading
Writing
Science
2
7
Howe
4
100
98
100
NA
6
15
Lincoln
4
99
96
99
NA
9
24
Foster
4
100
98
100
NA
12
49
Markham
4
100
97
99
NA
18
26
Aiken (KO)
4
100
91
100
NA
29
29
Hoover
4
95
89
100
NA
35
55
Jefferson
4
95
95
96
NA
44
50
Washington
4
95
90
97
NA






% scoring superior
% scoring superior
% scoring superior
2013
2012
School
Grade
Math
Reading
Writing
Science
1
7
Lincoln
3
98
100
NA
NA
18
23
Baker (USC)
3
93
93
NA
NA
24
34
Markham
3
96
90
NA
NA
32
46
Jefferson
3
98
90
NA
NA
42
40
Foster
3
92
90
NA
NA
48
47
Washington
3
94
92
NA
NA
70
42
Howe
3
93
95
NA
NA
74
109
Hoover
3
94
97
NA
NA