Wednesday, September 30, 2015

2015 PSSA scores released

Anonymous wrote:

"2015 PSSA Scores Released by PDE on September 29, 2015 at 11 PM!"

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

"...after nearly seven years of attempting to reshape and bring more accountability to public schools with a controversial emphasis on standardized testing and teacher evaluation..."

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced he will be leaving the Obama Cabinet.

Anonymous said...

PG Editorial on the PSSA scores released:http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2015/10/05/Disappointing-test-The-state-says-students-scores-are-an-anomaly/stories/201510310003

Anonymous said...

To our poster who is seemingly expert and has written the following in previous posts:"The lack of knowledge and understanding of SAS by some districts is why there is NO PROGRESS."

" The SAS is absolutely essential to success for students in Pennsylvania."

Now is the time to respond to the PG's above editorial. Inform the public.

What is holding you back?

Anonymous said...

A scathing report against The Pennsylvania Department of Education in today's PG citing:"Rather than PDE being proactive in providing assistance to improve the academic performance of all of these academically challenged schools, the department seemed to be doing the bare minimum to met federal requirements."

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2015/10/07/State-audit-finds-special-adviser-on-higher-education-did-little-work/stories/201510070050

Anonymous said...

In light of the above critique of PDE can PPS be held accountable for not using the resources of the PDE as has been high lighted in a previous post?


"PPS has chosen since Mark Roosevelt to by-pass SAS and all other resources provided free-of-charge by the PA Dept. of Educ. From 2005 to 2015 PPS has chosen not to avail itself fully of the resources provided by PDE the entity to which they are ACCOUNTABLE! (Does that make any sense at all?) That is the question that must be pursued by "grassroots", or "revolutionaries", taxpayers, parents, just interested community folk!"

The whole question of accountability is a farce on all levels.

Questioner said...

The community will not recognize a need for resources when the message from foundations, newspapers, government leaders, etc., who are "supporting" the district, is that PPS is already doing a phenomenal job.

Anonymous said...

Check the DATA online at the PA Department of Education!

Pittsburgh Public Schools in several Pittsburgh communities---with more than a dozen schools included---show READING "proficiency" at LESS than 20& and MATH "proficiency" at LESS than 10%.

"Phenomenal" ?????

Anonymous said...

Check the DATA online at the PA Department of Education!

Pittsburgh Public Schools in several Pittsburgh communities---with more than a dozen schools included---show READING "proficiency" at LESS than 20& and MATH "proficiency" at LESS than 10%.

"Phenomenal" ?????

Anonymous said...

True, 6:56 and 8:59. Recent political leadership at PDE has been more than questionable; BUT, that does NOT NEGATE the past 15 years of work that has been accomplished by many (not all) educator-workers (at lower PDE levels) who have put their acquired knowledge, experience, expertise, and commitment into the creation of RESOURCES, online, free and accessible to the public.

Those who understand "accountability" and take ACTION on educating children will locate and utilize ALL of the resources that are available to them. That may be too few and may exclude many in PPS; but, where there is a WILL there is a WAY!

Anonymous said...


Ha---who's watching the watcher?

Anonymous said...

9:18AM Questioner

If you haven't noticed the tide is turning. The PG is beginning to have a more watchful eye of PPS and editorializing with words such as 'disgraceful' and 'disappointing'.

The community is reading and the 'support' _______.

Stay tuned.

Anonymous said...

!!:23 ia "watching the watcher" but from where? this blog?

Anonymous said...

Does the PDE website breakdown the PSSA scores for all of the Pittsburgh Public Schools and all Subject areas?

With "READING "proficiency" at LESS than 20% and MATH "proficiency" at LESS than 10%" where are the SCIENCE scores?

Anonymous said...

6:56, 8:59, 10:07
Quote from today's PG "Education Adrift":
"State Auditor Genersl Eugene DePasqusle's comprehensive review of five years called out the state Education Department, and by extension the state Board of Education, for a long list of failures" Not supporting poorly performing school districts, not updating their master plan since 1999, for example. Really?! So from whence cometh the help for PPS???

Anonymous said...

; but, where there is a will there is a way.

Anonymous said...

PPS outright rejected all "help", all resources, all expertise from the the state Department of Education. The pattern of decline in PPS can be traced with abundant and substantive evidence that is documented.

The power of politics at the state level began with the appointment of a failed politician to the position of Superintendent in PPS.

Check the State PSSA data released last week and you will see that the State AVERAGE in Reading and Math is more than 40 points above the "proficiency" score of PPS schools in Homewood, the Hill District, and the North Side!

PPS maintains it low achievement status due to the failure of a Central Office that is controlled by Gates and Broad Foundations .

There are 470 other School Districts in Pennsylvania who 'outscore' Pittsburgh Public Schools students! WHY?

Anonymous said...

That's just it 7:55. Whose WILL? Only the will of those who understand accountability? If you say too few in Pgh district understand it, what strategy does PDE suggest to get everyone in Pgh Public to understand its importance? Which WAY? Who's assuming the leadership role here and providing direction? Free and accessible resources online are a far cry from being the end all answer to the improvements needed in poorly performing districts. We need leaders starting from the state on down who know what real teaching/learning entails and who are able to demonstrate that not only through legislation but also up close and personal. Hey, talk and planning without follow-through is cheap. If the Secretary of Education or others who have "earned" high state educational positions can't demonstrate their ability to model how to design and teach a lesson that engages, enriches and equips students in an urban classroom, I agree with 3:10 - " from whence cometh PPS' help"?

Anonymous said...

Yesterday, (Friday) PPS changed the date of this month's EDUCATION Committee Meeting from Tuesday to Monday, Oct. 1 th.

At this meeting Dr. Donna Micheaux is on the Agenda to present the 2015 PSSA Results. These PSSA results were posted last week on the PA Department of Education website although PA Districts received the results in July.

As was stated here in other posts, PPS results in several Pittsburgh communities are 80-99% NOT PROFICIENT which is 40 points BELOW the State Averages.

PIIN is having their Superintendent Search meeting on Monday and Ron Cowell is also holding a meeting here in Pittsburgh on Monday night.

PPS parents and communities should be aware of these meetings and attend where they can ask questions and challenge the results. Our PPS students should not be 40 points below the State Averages in Reading and Math!

Anonymous said...

PPS Education Meeting at 5:30 on Monday, October 12th, Conference Room A with Dr. Donna Micheaux presenting the PSSA results.

Will PPS report on the results for schools in the Hill District or Homewood or the Northside?

The Fed Ex store in East Liberty will print out the 30 pages of PPS Scores in its online format! Included are Reading, Math and Science for every grade level in every PPS school, both individually and with school totals!

All residents of Pittsburgh should be aware of this data. The children are our future!

Anonymous said...

There is no mystery here.

The more monies there are the less ' accountabiltiy ' is needed .

And PPS is swimming in $$$.

If one has only $1 then that which is most needed is sought after and the pennies are easily accounted for.

Anonymous said...

To your point 9:37; Broad and Gates and the Foundations can afford to fund failure.