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North Allegheny leaders flag growth gaps despite strong proficiency scores
Summary
Administrators told the Dec. 11 school board that North Allegheny students show high proficiency on state and national assessments but lag on year‑to‑year growth measures; the district will expand targeted interventions, data meetings and pilots of assessment tools to address gaps.
Superintendent Dr. Hyland and district administrators presented a detailed report on student performance and growth to the North Allegheny School Board on Dec. 11, 2024, saying the district’s achievement remains strong but that growth measures show consistent opportunities for improvement.
Dr. Hyland framed the presentation as part of the district’s strategic plan and took responsibility for overall results, saying, “I am ultimately responsible for the scores in this district. I take full responsibility for those,” and then turned the review over to assistant superintendents and building principals.
The presentation summarized multiple assessment systems. At the elementary level, assistant superintendent Dr. Dow said the district’s third‑grade advanced/proficient rate was about 87 percent and that 3rd‑grade ELA was roughly 85 percent — both well above state averages. Several elementary schools posted science achievement in the mid‑90s or higher (one building reported 100 percent science proficiency). But administrators repeatedly noted that growth scores — the year‑to‑year change in student performance measured by NCE/scale‑score differences and PBOS projections — trailed expectations in a number of grades and buildings.
Principals described concrete actions under way to address growth. Ingemar Elementary principal Tracy Michalowski said the elementary principals are holding four standardized data meetings this year and using student data walls (STAR, Study Island and PSSA item analyses) to tailor Instructional Response Plans for grades 3–5: “We are recording STAR, Study Island, but also looking at the PSSA achievement of our students,” she said, describing how teachers use item‑level data to group students for remediation or enrichment.
Middle‑school leaders emphasized that high proficiency can coexist with low growth under the statewide quintile and NCE methodology. Marshall Middle principal Dan Swager described targeting students in the 4th and 5th statewide quintiles — the majority of the district’s students — for marginal gains, addressing missed eligible content and providing “goal setting for both small group, individual, and classrooms” plus targeted interventions.
District staff outlined pilots and tools to be evaluated for impact: Freckle and Firefly as classroom and benchmark tools, STAR for triannual benchmarks, Nearpod resources linked to STAR, and continued use of Study Island and item analysis. The district said 13 teachers are piloting the Firefly assessment at elementary/middle grades and about 62 teachers are piloting another program referenced during the meeting. Administrators also highlighted reduced math classroom sizes in some algebra cohorts and expanded coaching with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.
Board members asked detailed questions about how growth is calculated, cohort tracking and the district’s comparator selections. Administrators explained that growth reports use entering and exiting NCE/scale scores across multiple assessments and that a single student with an extreme negative change can materially affect cohort growth, reinforcing the need for universal screeners and targeted interventions.
The presentation also reviewed secondary results: Keystone exam proficiency (strong in biology and literature; algebra flagged as a growth opportunity), PSAT and SAT mean scores above state averages, and robust AP participation and National Merit recognitions. High‑school principal Matt Butchak noted the district will continue to expand AP offerings and is considering pre‑AP courses to broaden access.
The district’s next steps are focused and incremental: use recurring data meetings and IRPs to target marginal growth, expand coaching and professional development, pilot and evaluate new digital interventions, and refine placement and quintile reviews to address gaps as students transition between elementary and middle school. Administrators stressed balancing academic focus with student well‑being and said they will return with follow‑up data as pilots and interventions are analyzed.
The board then moved on to consent and action items after the presentation. The report concluded with requests from board members for continued transparency in comparator reporting and for follow‑up information on pilot results and the impact of interventions.
