Pine-Richland presents academic achievement and growth report; district posts top scores and flags 7th-grade math growth

Pine-Richland School District administrators presented the district’s annual Academic Achievement and Growth Report at an academic achievement governance meeting on Dec. 9, 2024, saying overall results are strong while identifying specific areas for targeted improvement.

“Tonight is a good news evening,” Dr. Jay Miller, a district administrator who led the presentation, told the board, then outlined the report’s scope and how results will be used to guide instructional work. The district said the 2024 results place many Pine-Richland measures in the top decile statewide and highlighted several high-performing programs while naming middle-school math as an area needing focused attention.

The report covered statewide summative assessments (PSSA and Keystone exams), college-readiness testing (PSAT, SAT, ACT), Advanced Placement participation and outcomes, and subgroup analyses for students with individualized education programs (IEPs) and English-language learners. Pine-Richland reported roughly 4,551 students districtwide as the context for the results.

Why it matters: District leaders framed the report as a tool for continuous improvement. Administrators said lagging assessment results will be used to direct classroom interventions and system-level changes — scheduling, professional learning communities and targeted summer or winter supports — rather than as an end in themselves.

Key findings and next steps

- Keystone literature and districtwide Keystone results: The district said Pine-Richland’s cohort performance on the Keystone literature exam was the highest in Pennsylvania for the reporting year, a result administrators described as “number one” in the state. District leaders said literature proficiency and growth were strong across quintiles, with especially notable gains among both the lowest and highest quintiles.

- Biology Keystone: Pine-Richland reported its biology results as among the highest since at least 2015 and said the district ranked near the top statewide. Administrators…