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Oley Valley board presses for disaggregated data after mixed PSSA and growth results
Summary
District principals reported strong proficiency in some grades but unusual drops in others; board members asked for teacher- and cohort-level breakdowns, questioned a new predictive PVAS growth model and urged a public correction if earlier media reports used preliminary data.
The Oley Valley School Board on an evening meeting heard multi-building assessment briefings that showed mixed proficiency and a year-over-year shift in growth measures, prompting board members to ask for more disaggregated data and clearer public communication.
Elementary principal Dr. Broski told the board that third-grade English language arts was "roughly 72% proficient and advanced," while fourth grade was 47% and fifth grade 58%, and that elementary math averaged about 63.8% proficient. He explained that the district is now using a predictive PVAS growth model that projects a student’s expected score and measures growth relative to that projection: "If I'm predicted to be 1030 and I hit 1030, I basically just made exactly what I'm supposed to do. I didn't grow." Dr. Broski said the model gives teachers newer, more individualized growth data to guide instruction and groupings.
Board members pressed administrators on the meaning and usefulness of the growth metric. One board member said, "I struggle with this growth metric," and asked how many students actually met their expected performance versus how many simply contributed to a blended growth figure. Administrators replied that grade- and student-group breakdowns are available in the live report and that some personnel-level results may require executive-session handling because they touch employee records.
The middle-school principal described a notable, single-year drop in sixth-grade scores that staff called a unique anomaly; administrators attributed possible causes to cohort differences, test-day absences, MTSS staffing changes and the state’s standards changes. The board noted that an earlier news article showed different numbers and recommended a district press release with the finalized figures. A board member suggested, "write a press release that gets posted on our website that has the numbers as they're finalized," so the community can see the corrected data.
High-school reporting highlighted strengths in AP exams (127 exams administered; about 80% scored 3 or higher) and high participation in BCTC (about 35% of the high school enrollment), while administrators said they are aligning curriculum and department planning to address middle‑level gaps. Across the presentations, administrators emphasized teacher collaboration, targeted intervention (MTSS), and curriculum adjustments tied to new standards as the path forward.
Next steps: the board requested more disaggregated benchmark data — including cohort comparisons, opt-out/absence counts and teacher-level trend lines where allowable — so members can better evaluate causes and remedies. The assessment presentations concluded and the meeting moved to committee reports and budget items.
