Standard & Poor’s School Evaluation Services has released its list of academic “outperformers” for the 2004-05 school year.
According to a press release issued earlier this week, 55 Pennsylvania school districts are being recognized. The report is S & P’s second risk-adjusted performance analysis of school districts in the state. It updates an initial study using data for the 2004-05 year.
Tyrone Area and Bellwood-Antis are among the 55 schools recognized in the latest report.
The press release noted 38 of the 55 districts have outperformed for three consecutive years. Tyrone Area is also on that list. The S & P information said 29 districts have outperformed for four consecutive years. Tyrone Area made that list as well.
Tyrone Area Superintendent Dr. William N. Miller said, “the report is well recognized and takes into account risk factors for economically disadvantaged students.”
He said Tyrone Area “outperformed similar districts in terms of its economic base.”
Dr. Miller added, “Everyone is aware of the academic skills we have to have in today’s world and the importance of passing these tests.”
He said, “We recognize the dedication of our faculty and recognize them for their efforts.”
Dr. Miller also recognized the high level of productivity of the district’s students. He noted the importance of the students being equipped with “the skills to compete not just in Tyrone but wherever they go.”
Dr. Miller also noted Tyrone Area students exceeded the state mean in verbal and math on SAT scores.
Bellwood-Antis Superintendent Brian Toth said, “I’m very proud the district is on that list. It is a very elite list of schools.”
He noted only 11 percent of the state’s school districts made the list of 55. Toth cited the practices the district has been implementing and referred to the district’s “universal approach.”
He said, “We are not targeting one subgroup of students, but all the students.”
He said the district’s approach is that “all the kids can increase their achievement.” Toth said Bellwood-Antis’ recognition in the Standard & Poors report was an indication “the strategies we’ve employed are certainly working.”
The S & P press release said “outperforming” districts are diverse, serving student populations in 2004-05 that range from 1.0 to 74.2 percent economically disadvantaged, while achieving average proficiency rates in reading and math that range from 57.0 to 90.4 percent.
The press release said that to be identified as an outperformer, school districts, over the course of two consecutive school years (2003-04 and 2004-05), had to show a significantly higher percentage of students that scored proficient or above on the state\’s reading and math tests when compared to other districts with similar levels of economically disadvantaged students.
The release said academic achievement levels are compared with the percentage of economically disadvantaged students because educators and researchers have found that there is often a strong correlation between the two indicators.
Standard & Poor\’s said it developed the analysis used to identify outperforming school districts as a way to highlight outstanding academic performance, and to help educators in school districts with similar characteristics identify appropriate benchmarks to guide their own improvements.
S & P explained that achieving proficiency in reading and math for all students by 2014 is one of the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind law. The press release said that linking school districts in need of improvement with outperforming school districts that have similar student demographics so that effective practices can be shared, replicated or adapted is one method that can help educators reach that target.
S & P said the analysis was conducted by using state-reported data and used the state department of education\’s definition of economically disadvantaged students. Analysts determined academic performance by using the aggregate percentages of students scoring proficient or better on the state\’s reading and math tests.
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On the net: www.schoolmatters.com (go to Pennsylvania homepage)
