Pleasant Valley leaders present NWEA, Keystone and attendance data and outline curriculum changes

Pleasant Valley School District administrators spent the bulk of the board meeting reviewing student achievement measures and the instructional steps they say are aimed at raising scores.

Miss Truffolio, who led the Keystone portion of the high‑school presentation, told the board the state report shows percent proficient/advanced as a combined scale‑score measure and insisted state data are publicly available on FutureReadyPA. “I think I’m starting to get a reputation as that Keystone lady,” she said, describing how teachers use sub‑group reporting and growth metrics to target instruction. She also noted a 6‑point jump in algebra proficiency in the most recent cycle.

Superintendents and principals emphasized that NWEA (MAP) benchmarks — implemented systemwide this school year — are being used to identify individual student needs and to track mid‑year growth. Administrators said the district’s primary focus is student growth rather than one‑time achievement snapshots, and they urged patience while teachers and leaders learn to interpret new reports.

The presentations listed concrete classroom and schoolwide responses to areas of weakness: a district rollout of HMH reading materials in elementary and secondary grades, a move toward STEELS‑aligned science curriculum after a statewide biology testing waiver, increased common assessments and quarterly common finals, and a vertically aligned algebra pathway connecting middle and high school instruction.

Attendance was a central feature of the presentations. District staff pointed to a reported jump in the lagging attendance indicator (68.6% to 86.7% for the year shown in the Future Ready PA report) and credited an action plan that included increased accountability for attendance, a truancy liaison from the intermediate unit, and faster parent notification via an e‑hall pass/notification system. School leaders described weekly attendance meetings and targeted small‑group interventions, which they said are being monitored in ongoing cycles.

Middle‑school and elementary department chairs repeated similar themes: targeted interventions (WIN periods), shared common assessments, and a commitment to data literacy so teachers can use NWEA and HMH reports to form flexible small groups and remediation plans. Sarah Markowski, middle‑school math department chair, said the district is using OpenPA comparisons to inform a curriculum review and identify practices used by neighboring districts that show stronger middle‑grade outcomes.

Special education staff also presented data: the district reported about 925 students identified for special education services (December 1 count) and described expanded RTI/MTSS supports, AIMSweb progress monitoring for IEP goals, and contracts for behavior‑specialist services to strengthen in‑district behavior supports.

What’s next: administrators said NWEA growth reporting and the new curriculum resources will continue to guide biweekly department collaboration and targeted professional development. District leaders promised further updates and noted that state testing data remain a lagging indicator; local progress will be tracked through NWEA interim measures in the months ahead.