SCASD Performs Above State Academic Averages, Continues to Seek Improvement

State College Area School District Superintendent Robert O’Donnell says the district is always looking to improve the education it gives students.

So when O’Donnell and the rest of the school board heard their students have been performing notably higher than the state average on various tests, they didn’t spend much time patting themselves on the back.

SCASD curriculum directors Jacque Martin and Deirdre Bauer briefed the school board on student achievement over the past year based on standardized test scores and other measurements.

Over 82 percent of the district’s middle school students are performing proficiently or higher in math, and nearly 80 percent are proficient or higher in reading and writing. The state averages in each of these categories at the middle school level are at least ten percentage points lower than the SCASD’s scores.

The gaps between district and state averages in literature, science and biology are even greater. The average SCASD student also scored higher in every category of the SATs and the ACTS than the state average.

“It’s difficult to ascertain a lot about our district by just these numbers alone,” Martin said.

She explained that some tests, such as the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), will change next year because of the implementation of the new Common Core standards across Pennsylvania. Writing and reading, for instance, will be consolidated into a single exam next year.

The SAT is also in the process of being redesigned, with a greater focus on math and science.

“The curriculum we’ve put in place for our seventh and eight grades is completely in line with what the SAT is shifting toward,” Martin said. “I think we’re ahead of the curve in the district.”

School board members expressed concerns about some numbers, with Jim Pawelcyzk noting that year-to-year fifth grade averages put them below the overall academic goals the district hopes to reach by 2017.

Bauer said that these figures are being taken into consideration as the district evaluates how to adjust and improve its curriculum, though she points out this is a lengthy and time-consuming process.

“To put in a systemic curriculum change is not quick, but that’s best for our kids in the long run,” O’Donnell said. “We’re going to struggle hitting some of the targets in our strategic plan, and we have to look at where we’re aligned and misaligned with state standards.”

The district also unanimously approved further exploring the possibility of lengthening the elementary school day.

Board members heard an update from Assistant Superintended Jason Perrin on surveys the district recently distributed, asking State College residents if they support exploring that possibility. Over 78 percent of the 1,206 respondents said they supported the idea of expanding the district’s six-hour-long elementary day by 30 to 40 minutes.

Perrin said parents mostly expressed concerns about how this would impact after school activities, as well the amount of homework and recess and physical activity. Perrin said the district also has to consider how lengthening the school day will impact teachers, the district’s budget and the elementary school curriculum.

The earliest the school day could be lengthened minutes is the fall of 2016.

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