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Jeannette City SD administrators present test results and multi‑year instructional plan
Summary
District administrators told the board they are analyzing PSSA and Keystone results and emphasized a plan focused on high‑quality Tier 1 instruction, targeted professional development (Illustrative Math), expanded walkthroughs and observations, mentoring, individualized graduation plans and curriculum revisions to better align classroom grading with state assessments.
District administrators presented a multi‑year plan on March 11 to address standardized assessment results and to strengthen classroom instruction across grades K–12.
"I am not a big fan of standardized testing," an administrator said, framing state assessments as a single snapshot and emphasizing the district’s choice to focus on what it will do next. The presentation covered state testing instruments (PSSA and Keystone), the PA Future Ready index and local risk factors the administrators said influence results, including poverty, homelessness and a relatively high share of students with individualized education plans.
Administrators identified four core goals: strengthen Tier 1 instruction so all students receive high‑quality, rigorous lessons; increase student discourse and collaborative learning; provide sustained, targeted professional development (the district recently piloted Illustrative Math training); and expand mentoring and individualized graduation planning.
A building principal described a system of "walk throughs" and formal observations intended to provide coaching and feedback; the administrative team reported having done dozens of walkthroughs and formal observations so far this year. The principal said evaluative observations are scheduled and followed by post‑conference feedback tied to teacher rubrics.
The district also described a mentoring program designed to provide consistent mentors for students across multiple years and plans to pilot a new math curriculum and scale instructional coaching. Administrators asked the curriculum committee and relevant board subcommittees to take a deeper dive on implementation details at upcoming committee meetings.
The presentation emphasized aligning classroom practice and assessment so that grade‑level work and district grades better reflect the knowledge measured by state assessments. Administrators said they will continue training, monitoring and iterative adjustments over the coming school years.
