Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District presents student-assessment results: high achievement rankings, mixed growth; AP participation rises
Summary
Administrators reviewed state and national assessment results for the district including PSSA/Keystone proficiency and growth measures, WIDA results for English learners, SAT participation and mean scores, and increased AP participation and pass rates.
District leaders presented a summary of student-assessment results and growth metrics at the Jan. 23 board meeting, placing the data in state and multi-year context and highlighting areas for focus.
District officials said Haverford Township students scored in the top percentages of Pennsylvania on several measures. Administrators reported the district ranked broadly in the top 2–3% of the state in some assessed areas (for example, district‑wide math across grades 4–8 was reported as in the top 3% and ELA in the top 2% in the public state comparison tool referenced in the presentation). That high achievement, district presenters said, requires intentional work to sustain growth for students already performing near the top of the state distribution.
The presentation distinguished achievement (percent proficient/advanced) from growth (relative movement against peer cohorts). Using the state’s PBOS (growth) measures, many district schools met or exceeded expected growth; a small number of schools were below the state’s growth expectation and building-level teams are continuing targeted work. Presentation slides showed scatterplots by building illustrating relative achievement and growth in ELA, math and grade‑4 science.
For high‑school national measures, Dr. Moyer summarized SAT and AP trends: SAT mean scores reported were 1184 (2022, 338 students), 1145 (2023, 374 students), and 1168 (2024, 358 students). AP participation rose from 519 students in 2020 to 611 in 2024, with exams rising from 986 to 1,146 in the same period. The number of students scoring 3 or higher on AP exams dipped in 2021 but reached a high of 548 students scoring 3+ in 2024; the percent scoring 3 or better recovered to 89.69% in 2024 (highest in the presented window).
The district also reviewed English‑learner performance using WIDA access levels. For 2023–24, the EL program served 140 students k–12; 62 of those were eligible to participate in PSSA/PASA or Keystone assessments. Results for that eligible group showed 6 advanced, 18 proficient, 30 basic and 7 below-basic. Officials noted EL students, per PBOS growth measures, met or exceeded growth expectations, and administrators emphasized WIDA data informs targeted instruction.
Presenters and board members discussed nuances of interpretation — including that growth is a relative position vs. peers and that some high-achieving schools must sustain growth from an already high baseline. Audience members asked about comparative districts, grade-level details (for example, discussion focused on fifth‑grade ELA/mathematics trends) and the availability of more granular data. Administrators pointed stakeholders to a longer curriculum-committee presentation and district data posted online for detailed subgroup and course-level results.
District leaders said they will continue to use multiple measures, targeted interventions, and curriculum adjustments to support growth where needed and sustain high achievement across schools.
