Salisbury High School PSSA Math Scores Fell Into Warning Category

For the first time this year since No Child Left Behind went into effect, Salisbury Township High School did not meet the standards for Adequate Yearly Progress, also known as "making AYP."

After the 2011 test, Salisbury High School fell into the because 11th grade math students didn't meet the threshold of 67 percent proficiency. In 2007-08, Harry S. Truman Elementary School also received a warning because economically disadvantaged and special education students failed to meet the standards.

Assistant Superintendent Louise Beauchemin told school board members at the Nov. 7 curriculum and technology meeting they can start to "expect the unexpected" as more formerly high-achieving schools receive warnings as time goes on.

On the 2012 78 percent of students must achieve proficiency in math and 81 percent in reading, up from 67 and 72 percent, respectively, this year. The PSSA is taken in grades 3-8, and 11.
States can shield schools and their districts somewhat from the penalties associated with not meeting the ever-rising bar of math and reading proficiency by taking certain measures, such as tying teacher performance to student performance on the standardized exams, Beauchemin said.

"If Pennsylvania continues to be reluctant to apply for waivers with the (federal) Education Department, we're going to see more schools struggling to make AYP," Beauchemin said. "Even schools as strong as ours will struggle."
The federal education law, in its current form, requires all students to reach 100 percent proficiency in math and reading for their grade level by the 2013-14 school year.

"We have six months to turn it around," school board President Russell Giordano said of the high school's poor performance in math. "To see any school in this district with a warning label is a shock to the system. It's just a shame that we have to devote so much energy to the passing of a test."

Just under 54 percent of Salisbury 11th graders, who are now seniors, met the standards in math on the 2011 PSSA. The proficiency requirement was 67 percent.

Mary Ziegler, another school board member, said that the district should be proud of other gains, such as the improvement in the percentage of sixth graders who scored "below basic" on the PSSA in reading. In 2007-08, 9 percent, or 12 students, were below basic, compared to 4 percent, or five students, in 2010-11.

"You can see from this example how in a small school district, a few children can make a huge difference," Ziegler said. "But this is a huge stride."