Philly school test results a mixed bag
Only 17 percent of pupils were proficient in math.
THE RESULTS of the state's new standardized test were a mixed bag for Philadelphia public-school pupils, according to data released yesterday by the district.
Nearly one-third (32 percent) of pupils in third through eighth were proficient or advanced in language arts, 17 percent in math and 37 percent in science.
The new, more rigorous Pennsylvania System of School Assessment is aligned to the PA Core Standards, which are designed to prepare students for college and career. Due to the changes, state officials say, it is unfair to compare this year's scores to those of previous years.
Statewide results on the new PSSA are expected to be released later this month, according to a spokeswoman with the state Department of Education.
"The 2015 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 Hite said in a statement. "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."
The district also released results on the state's Keystone Exams, which students must pass to graduate starting with the Class of 2017. The proficiency rate in Algebra I was 38 percent (compared to 39 percent in 2014), 29 percent in biology (26 percent in 2014) and 49 percent in literature (52 percent in 2014).
Among first-time test-takers on the Keystone - an important metric - the proficiency rate in literature rose 7 percent from the previous year, according to the district.
The state's transition to a new PSSA comes at the same time as a growing national movement to opt out of high-stakes standardized testing.