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PSSA math and English scores improve slightly, but not science

Elementary and middle school students did slightly better on average than last year on the math and English language portions of the 2016 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), but worse in science.

Elementary and middle school students did slightly better on average than last year on the math and English language portions of the 2016 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), but worse in science.

This is the second year for more rigorous exams that align with Pennsylvania Core Standards in English and math. The science test is unchanged.

Overall, 42.45 percent of students scored proficient or advanced in math - a 2.5 percentage point increase over last year, according to Casey Smith, a spokesperson for the state Department of Education. About 60 percent were proficient or advanced in English, a figure that Smith said represented a somewhat smaller improvement.

Scores on the science test, given to fourth and eighth graders, were slightly lower.

The PSSAs are administered in third through eighth grades every spring.

School districts will receive individual student scores in early September; the Education Department will release school scores at the end of that month.

Scores on the Keystone Exams, which are given in algebra I, literature, and biology, also improved, according to the Education Department. Students scoring proficient or advanced rose from 64.5 to 68.2 percent in algebra 1, 58.9 to 65.7 in biology, and 72.8 to 76.8 in literature.

Tests are administered at the end of the course and reported when the student is in 11th grade.

Earlier this year, the legislature put a hold on using the Keystones as a graduation requirement until the 2018-19 school year.

kboccella@phillynews.com

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