Posted: Friday, October 4, 2013 6:15 am | Updated: 6:52 am, Fri Oct 4, 2013.
HARRISBURG — The state Department of Education is set Friday to unveil the results of a new accountability model for measuring the performance of Pennsylvania’s public schools.The data will be released on a website, paschoolperformance.org, which is set to go live mid- to late-morning, department spokesman Tim Eller said.
But for 626 schools — roughly one-fifth of Pennsylvania’s public education system — data won’t be included on the new Keystone Exams given for the first time last year. The Keystone Exams are a more rigorous version of previous tests, and aligned to the national Common Core State Standards. Starting with the Class of 2017, students will have to pass the Keystone Exams to graduate.
The department gave some schools the option of excluding the Keystone Exam data from the website’s initial launch due to data input errors.
The problem boils down to school officials not reading instructions provided in the assessment coordinators’ handbooks carefully enough, Eller said. Some students’ tests weren’t counted properly because they didn’t fill in a bubble to identify whether they were taking the exam for end-of-course assessment or federal accountability purposes.
In Bucks County, 31 schools chose to suppress the Keystone Exam data temporarily. Sixteen schools excluded the data in Montgomery County.
The data will go up as soon as the corrections can be made, Eller said. He could not yet provide a deadline by which schools must fix the errors.
The Keystone Exams scores will be posted for secondary schools where officials either didn’t have the bubbling-error issue, or the errors didn’t have a big enough impact on the overall rating to persuade school officials to ask for the exclusion.
“We were able to validate the accuracy of the data and felt comfortable about releasing it,” said Ann Langtry, spokeswoman for the Pennsbury School District in Bucks County.
The School Performance Profiles are replacing the accountability model used under the federal No Child Left Behind law. The federal government granted Pennsylvania a waiver from NCLB requirements in August.
Starting in 2013-14, the performance scores will account for 15 percent of principal and teacher evaluations.
Parents can use the new website to compare up to four schools side by side. The profiles will include data on all types of public schools, including charter schools, cyber charter schools and career and technical centers.
Among the figures that will be located in one place online for the first time: the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment for students in grades 3-8, Advanced Placement results, graduation rates, population of English language learners and student poverty levels. Title 1 schools, which receive federal dollars to help serve high numbers of low-income students, will still also be evaluated on the NCLB’s Adequate Yearly Progress system.
Scores will be grouped into color-coded categories, with dark blue representing the highest-performing (90 to 100), followed by light blue (80 to 89.9), green (70 to 79.9), yellow (60 to 69.9) and red (less than 60).
To calculate the score, the state has come up with a formula based 50 percent on test scores and closing achievement gaps; 40 percent on indicators of academic growth; and 10 percent on other academic indicators, such as promotion and attendance rates.
Because 2012-13 is a baseline year for the new accountability formula, data will not yet be included on closing achievement gaps or meeting growth targets on the new exams.
Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq has said she hopes the new system generates dialogue about how to improve schools across the state.
Some local educators and union representatives have expressed concerns that the public will place too much of an emphasis on performance scores that are heavily weighted on standardized tests.
Dave Weitzel, acting superintendent of Central Bucks School District, said he likes that the state is moving away from NCLB requirements, but he’s unsure whether School Performance Profiles are the answer.
“Assigning a number to a school seems rather narrow in focus,” Weitzel said. “It’s still very test-driven.”
In Beaver County, Aliquippa School District Superintendent David Wytiaz said he hopes parents take into account a school’s poverty rate and other challenges, noting he anticipates the wealthiest schools will get the highest scores.
The school profile system cost $2.2 million to develop over three years, and maintaining it will cost about $850,000 annually, according to Eller.
Under the new model, schools will be assigned an overall rating on a 100-point scale. The School Performance Profiles will also include a variety of building-level data, including student demographics, attendance rates and standardized test scores.
The department gave some schools the option of excluding the Keystone Exam data from the website’s initial launch due to data input errors.
The problem boils down to school officials not reading instructions provided in the assessment coordinators’ handbooks carefully enough, Eller said. Some students’ tests weren’t counted properly because they didn’t fill in a bubble to identify whether they were taking the exam for end-of-course assessment or federal accountability purposes.
In Bucks County, 31 schools chose to suppress the Keystone Exam data temporarily. Sixteen schools excluded the data in Montgomery County.
The data will go up as soon as the corrections can be made, Eller said. He could not yet provide a deadline by which schools must fix the errors.
The Keystone Exams scores will be posted for secondary schools where officials either didn’t have the bubbling-error issue, or the errors didn’t have a big enough impact on the overall rating to persuade school officials to ask for the exclusion.
“We were able to validate the accuracy of the data and felt comfortable about releasing it,” said Ann Langtry, spokeswoman for the Pennsbury School District in Bucks County.
The School Performance Profiles are replacing the accountability model used under the federal No Child Left Behind law. The federal government granted Pennsylvania a waiver from NCLB requirements in August.
Starting in 2013-14, the performance scores will account for 15 percent of principal and teacher evaluations.
Parents can use the new website to compare up to four schools side by side. The profiles will include data on all types of public schools, including charter schools, cyber charter schools and career and technical centers.
Among the figures that will be located in one place online for the first time: the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment for students in grades 3-8, Advanced Placement results, graduation rates, population of English language learners and student poverty levels. Title 1 schools, which receive federal dollars to help serve high numbers of low-income students, will still also be evaluated on the NCLB’s Adequate Yearly Progress system.
Scores will be grouped into color-coded categories, with dark blue representing the highest-performing (90 to 100), followed by light blue (80 to 89.9), green (70 to 79.9), yellow (60 to 69.9) and red (less than 60).
To calculate the score, the state has come up with a formula based 50 percent on test scores and closing achievement gaps; 40 percent on indicators of academic growth; and 10 percent on other academic indicators, such as promotion and attendance rates.
Because 2012-13 is a baseline year for the new accountability formula, data will not yet be included on closing achievement gaps or meeting growth targets on the new exams.
Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq has said she hopes the new system generates dialogue about how to improve schools across the state.
Some local educators and union representatives have expressed concerns that the public will place too much of an emphasis on performance scores that are heavily weighted on standardized tests.
Dave Weitzel, acting superintendent of Central Bucks School District, said he likes that the state is moving away from NCLB requirements, but he’s unsure whether School Performance Profiles are the answer.
“Assigning a number to a school seems rather narrow in focus,” Weitzel said. “It’s still very test-driven.”
In Beaver County, Aliquippa School District Superintendent David Wytiaz said he hopes parents take into account a school’s poverty rate and other challenges, noting he anticipates the wealthiest schools will get the highest scores.
The school profile system cost $2.2 million to develop over three years, and maintaining it will cost about $850,000 annually, according to Eller.
14 comments:
Doubtful data alert!
Percentage of classes taught by highly qualified teachers for Morrisville Intermediate School is listed as 100%.
If the marching band teacher is still teaching 8th grade Social Studies then I can't trust the data. How do they arrive at these numbers? Self reporting?
If that # is not true, how can you trust ANY of the numbers?
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20131005_Pa__school_test_results_will_be_incomplete.html
I don't think you know what "highly qualified" means in the world of Education.
"To satisfy the definition of a Highly Qualified Teacher, teachers must:
Hold at least a bachelor’s degree;
Hold a valid Pennsylvania teaching certificate (i.e., Instructional I, Instructional II or Intern certificate but not an emergency permit); and
Demonstrate subject matter competency for the core content area they teach. "
http://www.pde.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/highly_qualified_teacher_requirements/8631
Dr. Scott is not teaching Social Studies this year, but he does have a valid cert in both Music and Social Studies. That combined with a PhD in Education... I think he's pretty Highly Qualified.
A great teacher is a great teacher regardless of topic.
Dr. Scott, Instrumental Music Director, is a very dedicated, talented, and extremely qualified teacher.
He tries to motivate students to perform at the highest level in a community that otherwise is generally bereft of culture.
He does this all for a salary that is close to 100K plus possibly supplementals for marching band, jazz band, and school drama director.
The School Performance Profile is just another way to stigmatize a community and school district that has a school population that is 54% economically disadvantaged!
Support Your School:
Ok so highly qualified equals adequate credentials in the world of education.
This by no means equals a great teacher.
I guess the experiment with Mr Scott teaching Social Studies last year did not work out.
All I was saying was that you don't have to think that all the data on that website is false because you don't understand what "Highly Qualified" means.
Regardless of Qualification Dr. Scott is a great teacher, no matter what he's teaching. He is an expert teacher.
There are plenty of other teachers at Morrisville teaching subjects using other certification than the ones people identify them with.
I was trying to make the point that Teacher is the key word. If someone has mastered the art of helping students to learn they can teach no matter what the subject.
Morrisville has a long history of teachers changing subject areas over their careers from Mr. Purcell to Mr. Franks to Mr. Mullen.
Some people you just can't please no matter what you do.
What about the qualifications of the Superintendent?
Any teacher who has been in Morrisville more than 3 years can not be considered qualified.
The level of uneducated idiots in this town is far too high for that claim to be valid.
Mike Honcho, you should be running for school board. You are as negative as many of the people that were recently voted out of office. I can't believe your petty personal attacks in the comments of the Joint Council post, and then this one. Where did you go to school? I guess some place that made you an expert on judging everyone else.
Mike Honcho should be running far far away from here.
Wow, threats of violence from the Rivella campaign. Is Dave afraid that Pepitone is going to win despite not being on the ballot.
No threat of violence intended at all. SImply a play on the word running. I am not part of the Rivella campaign. I was seriously considering a write in for Pepitone, but you singlehandedly blew it for me. Congratulations.
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