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District data show gains in elementary screeners but PSSA/Keystone proficiency remains below target
Summary
Quakertown Community School District reported Sept. 8 that while early‑grade screeners show strong gains, overall PSSA and Keystone proficiency remain below the district’s 80% benchmark, prompting next steps to better align benchmarks with state test formats and increase instructional coaching.
Quakertown Community School District officials presented end‑of‑year student assessment results to the education committee on Sept. 8, reporting progress on early literacy and numeracy screeners but continuing shortfalls in state PSSA and Keystone proficiency.
Assessment director Dr. Alexa Carter told the committee that universal screeners such as DIBELS (literacy) and Acadience (math) showed strong year‑over‑year gains in early grades: kindergarten literacy benchmark moved from 33% at fall screening to 92% at year’s end, and several elementary grades made substantial growth in foundational numeracy. The district’s stated goal is to have 80% of students at or above benchmark in foundational skills.
Despite those gains, Dr. Carter said benchmark and summative results diverged in some grades. Benchmarks given on district platforms—where some secondary teachers attached grades or incentives—produced higher proficiency numbers than state PSSA and Keystone results. The district’s Keystone literature performance was reported at about 67% proficient; some Keystone and PSSA scores declined compared with the prior year in several grades, prompting concern.
Committee members discussed possible explanations. Board members and administrators said that differences in question types—technology‑enhanced items (TEIs) that require drag‑and‑drop, multi‑select and similar interactions—and student motivation during high‑stakes testing can affect results. Dr. Carter said the district is shifting to PDE’s Firefly benchmarks and placing benchmarks on the same online platform students use for PSSA so students get practice with TEIs and question formats. Additional steps the district outlined include strengthened Tier‑1 instruction, targeted coaching for teachers, more frequent formative assessment analysis in building leadership meetings, expanded use of IXL level‑up diagnostics, and professional development aimed at aligning instruction and assessments with state expectations.
Administrators also described a new data‑governance approach: Dr. Carter will hold monthly meetings with building leaders to provide standard reports, model analysis questions, and establish common, scripted review protocols so principals and teacher teams discuss the same metrics and next steps. The district said it will continue to provide navigator and Lincoln reports to the board and will return with further analysis when state results are finalized.
Next steps: staff will implement the benchmark alignment actions, continue monthly data review meetings, analyze the impact of TEIs and assessment platforms on student outcomes, and return to the board with progress updates and the finalized state comparison when available.
