The state Education Department yesterday released the results of the standardized PSSA tests that schools are required to administer to students.
The scores are for every building in every school district, and they show that while the percentage of students at or above grade level is progressing, math class continues to baffle many students in the fourth through the eighth grades across the commonwealth
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams are given to students in grades three through eight in English, math, and science. At the same time, the Keystone Exams are administered to high school students to measure proficiency in literature, biology, and Algebra 1.
On the PSSAs, third graders did well in math, with 54.5 percent scoring proficient or advanced, but fourth through eighth grades struggled, falling below those standards. Overall, the grades for all subjects in all grade levels across the state showed about half of the students were proficient of advanced.
Kudos to Indiana Area’s Horace Mann Elementary School for scoring 62.4 percent advanced in science, including 53.3 percent of students who were formerly underperforming. Horace Mann also scored 53% advanced in English. And Penns Manor Elementary School scored 50% advanced in science, including 31.3 percent of students who previously had been underperforming.
Here is the link to the exam results: http://www.education.pa.gov/Pages/PSSA-Information.aspx#tab-1
