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District reports mostly above‑target PSSA and midyear benchmark results; eighth‑grade math flagged as an area to monitor
Summary
District academic staff presented PSSA and internal benchmark data showing South Fayette students outperforming county and state targets in many grades and subjects; presenters said eighth‑grade state math assessments are lower in part because many students take Algebra, and that science assessment alignment with NGSS remains an issue.
District academic staff presented PSSA results and building‑level benchmark data, reporting that South Fayette students in many grades scored at or above state and county targets while staff identified specific areas for continuing improvement.
Christine Wagner Deetsch gave a district overview showing South Fayette exceeding the 2023–24 state targets in ELA and math for most tested grades, noting the usual pattern of eighth‑grade state math scores trailing algebra assessment results because many eighth graders take algebra instead of the grade‑level test. She also noted that middle‑school science instruction aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) can complicate direct comparison to the Pennsylvania state science assessment, which tests different standards.
Building presenters offered midyear benchmark snapshots. The elementary team reported midyear Acadience reading results showing approximately 75% of kindergarteners, 78% of first graders and 79% of second graders at or above grade level; elementary math midyear figures showed 65% of kindergarteners and 82% of first graders on or above grade level. Intermediate School presenters reported that 83% of intermediate students were at or above grade level in math across the three grade levels monitored by IXL, with growth trends holding steady amid rising concept complexity.
Middle and high school presenters described how embedded coursework (for example, many eighth graders taking algebra) affects results on grade‑level state assessments and explained how teachers use adaptive diagnostic tools (IXL, Interle or proprietary classroom diagnostics) to group students for targeted interventions and enrichment. High school staff also highlighted AP and SAT participation data and said the school is piloting a “right student, right course” approach intended to permit students to enroll in AP classes without making the AP exam mandatory for every registrant.
Staff said they will use item‑level and strand‑level diagnostic data to guide instruction, adjust groupings and design interventions. Presenters also committed to providing more detailed growth‑by‑cohort information on request.
