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Boyertown district presents student-achievement and support data showing growth despite mixed proficiency
Summary
Director of Curriculum and Instruction Stephanie Petrie presented district assessment and support data to the Boyertown Area School District Education and Student Services Committee, highlighting growth indicators (PVAS), rising AP participation and pass rates, increased supports for special education and English-language learners, and expanded formative diagnostics.
Director of Curriculum and Instruction Stephanie Petrie presented a wide-ranging data report to the Boyertown Area School District Education and Student Services Committee, outlining academic performance, graduation pathways and nonacademic supports and saying the district is showing growth even where proficiency remains mixed.
"My goal tonight is really to highlight how our data is reflecting our mission and our mission and vision and our work towards helping all of our students become that portrait of a graduate," Petrie said as she opened the presentation.
The presentation summarized several assessment systems and local measures. Petrie said Advanced Placement participation at Boyertown High School (BASH) has increased and that pass rates (scores of 3 or 4) are consistently higher than the national average. She also reviewed Pennsylvania-specific measures — including the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System (PVAS), the PA Future Ready Index and PSSA results — noting that the most recent PVAS growth report was released to the district last week and shows many students exceeding growth expectations.
Petrie walked the committee through multiple data strands used by the district: formative diagnostics (such as IXL and classroom diagnostic tools), summative state assessments (PSSA and Keystone exams), college-entry tests (PSAT and SAT), career-center outcomes (BCTC results and NOCTE/career competency measures), dual-enrollment participation, and social-emotional indicators (threat assessments, Safe2Say Something reports and Student Assistance Program referrals).
Key figures and trends Petrie highlighted include: - AP participation at BASH is rising; AP exam pass rates (3 or 4) are consistently above the national average (Petrie called this “a celebration”). - PA Future Ready Index demographics show increases in economically disadvantaged students, English-language learners (approaching 1%) and special education enrollment (an increase of about 3 percentage points over the published span), which the district says requires additional supports and staffing. - Local PSSA sampling: Petrie reported about 51% proficient/advanced in elementary/middle ELA and about 55% proficient/advanced in math for the sampled years; she emphasized the district uses formative diagnostic data to guide instruction during the school year. - Keystones: Petrie described the different grade spans when Algebra I, Biology and Literature are administered and noted individual high-performing cases (for example, one accelerated sixth-grade student advanced on Algebra I) while also acknowledging students who scored below basic and the availability of alternate graduation pathways. - Dual enrollment and postsecondary measures: 598 students participated in Montgomery County Community College dual-enrollment courses (last reported summer), and 213 members of the Class of 2025 took the SAT, with district averages trending at or above state and national averages in the sampled years. - Career and technical outcomes: students from Boyertown earning Pennsylvania skill certificates and career-competency results at BCTC were reported to outperform county averages in the provided span of years. - Social-emotional and safety data: the district has used threat-assessment protocols (initiated in the 2021–22 timeframe) and now employs a tool from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency for threat assessments; Petrie said those numbers have increased partly because staff training and awareness have improved. Safe2Say Something reports (anonymous tips) and Student Assistance Program (SAP) referrals also increased; Petrie said expanded group interventions explain part of the rise in SAP contacts and reflect the district’s ability to serve more students.
Petrie described instructional tools and classroom uses that translate diagnostic data into instruction, including IXL groupings, the classroom diagnostic tool (CDT) used for Keystones, and quarterly executive-functioning coursework for students with IEPs or 504 plans. She emphasized that formative tools give teachers ongoing data to group students for targeted interventions and that the district is working to align supports to changing student demographics.
Committee members asked technical and timing questions about published state indices. One board member asked about the Future Ready site trend graph; Petrie replied that the PA Future Ready Index graphic was not yet released and she would share it when available. After the presentation, a committee speaker praised the timing and utility of presenting this data earlier in the school year so the board and community can act on the results.
No formal votes were taken on the data presentation. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn recorded in the transcript; no vote tally was provided in the transcript.
Petrie and district staff said follow-up items will appear in subsequent committee meetings, and the presentation materials used by Petrie were circulated to board members.
