Pennsbury board hears annual data portfolio showing test scores above state average, drop in suspensions and a disproportionality warning

Pennsbury School District officials presented the annual data portfolio at the Jan. 16 school board meeting, reporting that the district’s 2024 results on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and Keystone end-of-course exams remain above the statewide averages while also identifying areas that need focused improvement.

The presentation, given by Dr. Beth Aldrich, the district’s director of assessment and accountability, and colleagues, showed Pennsbury outperforming the state in PSSA English language arts and math across grades 3–8 and reporting above-average performance on high-school keystone exams in algebra, literature (English 10) and biology. The report also highlighted reductions in first-quarter out-of-school suspension days compared with prior years and a state “warning” for disciplinary disproportionality affecting Black students with individualized education programs (IEPs).

Why this matters: The data portfolio is the district’s annual snapshot used for state accountability and local planning. High-level strengths (districtwide performance above the state average) coexist with targeted challenges—especially middle-school language arts scheduling, a state warning on disproportionality, and variability across grades—that the district said it will address through curricular adjustments, schedule changes and multi-tiered interventions.

Dr. Aldrich said the district’s PSSA results “are performing well above the state average” in ELA and math for most tested grades, while noting variation in year-to-year performance at some grade levels. She told the board that comparing algebra performance using the Algebra I Keystone (an end-of-course measure) can show different results than the broader PSSA math measure because the PSSA tests a wider set of standards, including geometry and data topics.

Among the key findings presented: - State assessments: Pennsbury’s 2024 PSSA and Keystone scores were reported above Pennsylvania averages in the tested grades and subjects the presentation covered. The district provided three-year trend slides to show where scores rose, fell or remained steady at specific grade levels. - Keystones “banking”: The presenters explained that students’ Keystone scores are banked for accountability until the end of 11th grade. Dr. Aldrich noted that earlier pandemic-era Algebra I scores are excluded from some accountability calculations; she said that excluding those earlier (COVID-era) scores reduced the reported class proficiency percentage for one cohort from about 56% to 50% for the 11th-grade accountability snapshot. - Suspensions: The district reported a sharp drop in first-quarter out-of-school suspension days at Pennsbury High School: 122 days (Q1 2022), 130 days (Q1 2023) and 42 days (Q1 2024). Middle-school combined Q1 suspension days were reported as 45 (2022), 50 (2023) and 35 (2024). The presentation said major infractions (drugs, assault, weapons) still lead to suspensions; administrators attributed the decline to restorative practices, PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) and MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support). - Special education evaluations: District-initiated special-education evaluations declined substantially over the multi-year comparison; presenters said district-initiated evaluations fell by roughly 44% between the two multi-year windows shown, a change the district characterized as evidence that early intervention is reducing later evaluation demand. - Disproportionality warning: The presentation identified a state dashboard warning (threshold >2.5, goal = 1) for the rate of Black students with IEPs receiving suspensions of fewer than 10 days; Pennsbury’s ratio was shown at 3.36 in one year and 2.69 in the following year. District staff said they were awaiting updated state data and would work with the Pennsylvania Department of Education on next steps if the trend persisted. - Advanced Placement and SAT: About 400 students took AP exams last year (14% of the high school population); the AP exam pass rate (3 or higher) was reported at 89% for exams taken. The district said it currently offers 19 AP courses, will offer 21 next year, and plans to expand pre-AP and AP offerings with an aim of increasing participation toward a 25% participation goal. SAT mean scores showed minor year-to-year declines that track statewide trends.

Board members asked for additional breakdowns and context. Director Chip Taylor asked how many AP courses are offered and whether the presentation could show raw counts beside percentages; Dr. Aldrich answered that the district offers 19 AP courses now, increased from 17 the prior year, and that 21 will be offered next year. Taylor also asked whether the slide deck could show full-year suspension totals in addition to first-quarter comparisons; staff said the Q1-to-Q1 comparison was intended to show recent movement but agreed to provide full-year figures in a future report.

On 8th-grade language arts, Aldrich and staff said schedule changes are in progress: the middle-school schedule committee is recommending an all-year 80-minute ELA block for 8th graders (replacing two shorter, half-year blocks) and curriculum adjustments to align with state standards. The district noted that middle-school schedule changes are linked to broader start-time adjustments and are intended to improve instructional time and alignment with state standards.

Board members also pressed for follow-up on the state disproportionality warning. Staff said they were contacting the state for clarity on refreshed data and noted that a third year over the state threshold would trigger an official citation and requirement for an action plan under the state’s process.

Ending: District leaders said the portfolio slides and underlying data are publicly available via the state data sources cited in the presentation and that follow-up materials (full-year suspension totals, more granular grade-level trend lines and a state-data update on disproportionality) would be provided to the board at a later date.