Pittsburgh Public Schools News » Blog Archive » Gains on 11 of 14 State Exams Show More Students Are on the Pathway to the Promise

Gains on 11 of 14 State Exams Show More Students Are on the Pathway to the Promise

Preliminary results on the 2011 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) show more District students are on track to Promise-Readiness as gains in reading and mathematics proficiency increased on 11 of 14 tests. The number of students performing at the advanced level increased on 10 of 14 tests, while the number of students performing below basic decreased on 13 of 14 PSSA tests. Superintendent Linda S. Lane shared the District’s 2011 student achievement results with District principals, staff and community members earlier this morning at the Pittsburgh Professional Development Center located in the Greenway facility.

» Visit 2011 Student Achievement Website
» 2011 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) District Presentation
» 2011 PSSA Results Press Release

“Our goal is to get students Promise-Ready and prepared for success after graduation,” said Superintendent Lane. “We know that significant progress doesn’t happen overnight. While today’s results show we are on the right course, we also know that the only way more of our students will become Promise-Ready is if we remain committed to our work to ensure that an effective teacher is in every classroom, every day.”

Over the past four years, the percent of students scoring proficient or advanced increased on all 14 PSSA exams. While evidence indicates that current reforms are working, the District remains committed to making adjustments based on data.

Since introducing the Excellence for All reform agenda in 2006, the District put into place the core elements for raising student achievement, which include the following:

A new rigorous curriculum;

A nationally recognized system to train, support, evaluate and reward principals;

An aggressive, comprehensive and ongoing professional development for all instructional personnel;

The use of diagnostic assessment to get help to students quickly; and,

Instructional coaches in every school to deepen the work.

Since 2009 additional strategies put in place to support core initiatives and increase student achievement, include:

The K-11 literacy Response to Instruction and Intervention (Rtii) model that includes 30 minutes of literacy intervention and enrichment daily in every K-5, K-8 and 6-8 school;
Diagnostic and summative assessments to complement the District K-2 reading program;
Two periods of mathematics daily for every student;
A focus on algebraic skills throughout grades K-8; and,
The Research-Based Inclusive System of Evaluation (RISE) designed to grow and develop students by continuously advancing the professional practice of teachers.

Dr. Lane reviewed a presentation that included preliminary District-level PSSA results by grade level and spotlighted schools that represented progress on District priorities. The PSSA measures individual student growth and determines the level to which students reach Pennsylvania reading and mathematics standards in grades 3 – 8 and 11. PSSA results in mathematics and reading are used to determine a district’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The District will be releasing information about its AYP status when that information becomes available from the State.