NAZARETH DOES NOT MEET STATE STANDARDS

he Express-Times has an article on the NASD’s program to meet state standards at the Middle and High Schools (read it here) that was presented at Monday’s School Board Meeting.

It mostly involves pre-testing and intervention. They pre-test students, see what areas that are on the PSSA test in which they might struggle, and teach to it.

“Superintendent Victor Lesky said the district continuously searches for ways to help students learn, but he cautioned it was important 11th graders take the required testing more seriously.”

It has come to be taken for granted that HS students don’t perform well on PSSA tests because they don’t care about the tests. When a quarter of the student body is on honor roll, but not that many are advanced or proficient, there appears to be a disconnect. The kids obviously can do the work (or they wouldn’t make honor roll), they simply don’t try.

Another potential reason students struggle in 11th grade is that they’ve not had the proper courses to prepare them for the test. A parent relayed to me that in 11th grade, Algebra 2 is the college prep track course. Meaning any level below college prep has not yet had Algebra 2, but Algebra 2 coursework is in the PSSA test. By extension, regardless of how much pre-testing and intervention we hold, it will be difficult for students to do well if they haven’t taken the classes needed to be successful.

I also wonder how much teaching can get done in a regular classroom environment when there is so much testing and intervention being conducted.

Another change made to meet state standards is to have a new grading system on the elementary level. I received two booklets, one for grades 2-3 and one for the intermediate school. Each had a hard stock cover on front and back and they were comprised of 20 and 26 pages of explanation.

Twenty pages or more to explain to a parent what the report card means?