#Pvaas sas professional

Highs and lows: The state assessments analyzed in PVAAS include the math and English language arts Pennsylvania System of School Assessments (PSSAs) for grades four to eight and three Keystone assessments: Algebra I, Biology and Literature. 'As you can imagine, teachers have been very busy working very hard,' Krum added, saying she hopes for much better results next year. Since then, the district has made many changes, including use of a progress-tracking assessment, 'very aggressive curriculum writing' and teacher training that shifted focus away from lecturing and toward a more hands-on approach with data-driven instruction. More: Dover Area School District hires superintendent Krum became assistant superintendent in May 2017 and took over as superintendent just a couple of months later, leaving little time to write curriculum. Assistant Superintendent Patricia Maloney started full-time last January. Not aligned: Dover Area School District struggled in both growth and achievement - a setback the administration tracks to misaligned curriculum standards resulting from recent leadership changes.Ĭurriculum was not aligned to state standards before assessments last April because the district was in 'a state of flux,' said Superintendent Tracy Krum. “We are meeting students where they are and making it our mission to see them reach their potential, said Superintendent Eric Holmes, who is on medical leave, in a news release. 'This is the new normal in the School District of the City of York.'

#Pvaas sas professional

She highlighted a greater focus on professional development, including a partnership with district principals and the University of Virginia for school turnaround, as one reason for student success this year.

'Any time as a district you can make multiple years of growth it screams that there’s something that you’re doing that’s right,' said Acting Superintendent Andrea Berry. More: York City district will apply to end recovery status this summer More: York City schools see internal gains in English, math Last year was the first time since the state began using PVAAS - implemented statewide in 2006 - that York City met the standard in English language arts and exceeded it in math, according to a news release. 'New normal': York City School District had low achievement but excelled in growth - meeting or exceeding the growth standard in every state assessment. The index is a measure of whether the school or district met the standard for PA Academic Growth - which is to at least maintain achievement from one grade, subject or course to the next. The York Dispatch pulled growth and achievement data for all 16 York County school districts, and its two charter schools - focusing on the average growth index and the combined percentage of proficient and advanced students. Outside factors such as demographics, including socioeconomic variables, do not have an effect on growth, but they can affect achievement - and studying them together gives a complete view of a district's performance, PVAAS online guidelines state. The state Department of Education recently released its annual Pennsylvania Value Added Assessment System (PVAAS) results, analyzing student achievement and growth in 2017-18 state assessments.īoth are important - achievement because it measures against a standard, and growth because it measures against prior performance, showing evidence of the school’s effect on a student. Each fall, public schools in Pennsylvania have the chance to not only see how students performed against grade-level standards but also how much growth they had from one year to the next - and this year York County had a mixed bag of highs and lows.