Major drops in city test scores
Student performance on state exams dropped significantly in the Philadelphia School District, according to results released Wednesday.
Student performance on state exams dropped significantly in the Philadelphia School District, according to results released Wednesday.
District-wide, 32 percent of students passed English exams and 17 percent passed math exams. That's compared to last year, when 42 percent passed English and 45 percent passed math.
Thirty-seven percent of district students passed the state science exams.
The PSSAs got tougher this year - it was the first year they were aligned with the new Common Core standards - and districts statewide experienced major erosion in test scores.
School officials said year-to-year comparisons were "not appropriate" because of the changes.
However, they did tout some gains: 6,000 students in grades 3 through 8 moved from the lowest performance level - below basic - to the next highest level, basic. Those students still did not pass the test, however.
"The 2014 results are a new baseline to build off as we seek to ensure that all of our students have access to opportunity and are college- and career-ready," Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said. "We know that this kind of significant transition will take time and requires investments in teacher training, curricular materials, student tutoring and other supports. We also know that students and teachers are working hard; that there are multiple ways to measure our students' knowledge and mastery of skills; and that all of our students have the ability to grow academically."
This is a developing story.