Exam results for public schools released by state
No public schools in Delaware County are seeing more students pass state assessment tests in three core areas than those in the Radnor and Haverford school districts.
The two districts had the highest average percent of students earning advanced or proficient scores on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSAs) and Keystone exams in 2017 according to performance results released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The two tests assess students in the fields of math, science and English on a scoring scale of advanced, proficient, basic and below basic. Students up until eighth grade are scored using the PSSAs and eleventh graders assessed with the Keystones.
Radnor High School had the highest single average of passing scores with 92.1 percent of students passing the Keystones in the subjects of algebra 1, biology, and literature. The highest recorded percentage came in the literature test with 94.5 passing, and a passing rate of 90.9 each in the other two subjects.
High school Principal Dan Bechtold said he was proud to have his student’s accomplishments and hard work noted.
“The results exceed those we forecasted earlier this year thanks in large part to an exemplary faculty and staff and a supportive community,” he said Friday morning. “We look forward to continuing our successes this school year.”
At Radnor’s elementary and middle school levels there was an average 85.6 percent passing rate on the PSSA’s English language arts, math and science subjects. Students at Ithan Elementary had the district’s highest elementary level passage rate at 90 percent.
Not far behind in neighboring Haverford were the second highest performance scores in the county among districts with all information reported.
Haverford’s Keystone passage rate at the high school was an average 87.2, with the six elementary and middle schools at 84.24. Chatham Park Elementary led the district’s lower level schools with 90.9 of student’s earning passing marks.
“We consistently look at our local assessments and student data to assure we are meeting the needs of all of our students. Teachers and support staff are dedicated to meeting the needs of the students in our district,” said Haverford Director of Data and Assessment Fred Brown. “Through our Professional Learning Communities at all levels and our Intervention and Enrichment time in our elementary levels we are able to adjust our instruction.
“Haverford is a community that has high expectations for the education of their children. We are fortunate to have parents that are involved in their child’s education and supportive of our teachers and staff. Our School Board has always looked first at what is best for students.”
Also scoring high was Garnet Valley School District with 88.9 percent of high school students passing the Keystones and almost 82 percent of elementary and middle school students, save for Concord Elementary, passing the PSSAs. Concord Elementary School data was not available through PDE making Garnet Valley the only district in the county to have any incomplete data.
Although no school had all of its students scoring at advanced or proficient on either test, the fourth grade class at Rose Tree Elementary in the Rose Tree Media School District had all students pass the PSSA science test, the only testing group in the county to get a perfect 100.
The passage percentage rate for students in other county high schools are as follows: Academy Park, 42.8; Chester High School, 6.3; Chichester, 55.1; Interboro, 70.2; Marple Newtown, 82.3; Penncrest, 81.4; Penn Wood, 36.7; Ridley, 69.4; Springfield, 79.8; STEM at Showalter, 12; Strath Haven, 87.5; Sun Valley, 51.2; and Upper Darby, 56.4;.
The average passage rate for school district elementary and middle schools on the PSSAs are as follows: Chester-Upland, 21.94; Chichester, 53.59; Interboro, 58.16; Marple Newtown, 77.28; Penn-Delco, 68.85; Ridley, 52.57; Rose Tree Media, 82.5; Southeast Delco, 35.7; Springfield, 78.8; Upper Darby, 44.48; WallingfordSwarthmore, 80.36 and William Penn, 34.67.
The PDE also released PSSA performance results for charter schools in the county. Chester Community Charter School had 11.9 percent of its students pass any of the three subjects, the lowest per building average for any county school. Of the 1,900 students tested for English language arts and math, 15.6 and 5.9 percent of students passed those subjects, respectively. Just over 14 percent of the 622 students passed the science test.
Chester Charter School for the Arts had the highest passing rate of any named charter school in the county with 29.7 percent. Below them were Visions Academy Charter School in Lansdowne with 22.9 percent passing and the Widener Partnership Charter School in Chester at 21.7 percent passing.
Public school students are assessed on the PSSA for English language arts and math every year from third to eighth grade, with science testing occurring in fourth and eighth grades only. The Keystone Exams are administered after the completion of a course that corresponds to its testing subjects of algebra I, biology and literature. Students may take those tests before their eleventh grade and have their scores banked until they reach that academic year.
Success on the PSSAs and Keystones are one of the key factors when the status compiles School Performance Profiles every year. These profiles are an overview of student academic achievement in every state public school building which receives a score on a scale of 100 (plus bonus points). Profiles for the 2016-17 school year are expected this fall.