Reading, math scores continue to improve
By Stephanie Weaver, Correspondent, CoatesvilleTimes.com
CALN — The Coatesville Area School District recently announced that their students achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on the 2011 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) in math and reading. This is the 6th consecutive year the school district has made AYP status.
“”I am tremendously proud of the accomplishments and academic achievements of all of the students over the past six years of reaching AYP,” stated Superintendent Richard Como. “These achievements are possible through the continued hard work of the students as well as their parents, teachers, administrators and staff.”
In grades three to five, all of the students achieved the targets in math and reading set by the state. In grades sixth through eighth, Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, English Language Learners, and economically disadvantaged students attained the AYP target set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in math and reading.
According to a statement issued by the school district, they have seen a 10% improvement in math and reading with Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, Special Education and economically disadvantaged students in grades three to five over the past five years. Additionally, grades sixth through eighth saw a 10% improvement in math and reading and an increase of 16% in achievement for their Caucasian students in math over the same period of time. African American students in grades nine through twelve have seen an increase of over 25% on the math PSSA over the last five years and have closed the achievement gap between themselves and Caucasian students by over 21% over the same duration.
Most notably, the students at Friendship Elementary placed in the 94th percentile in all reported categories in math and reading for the 2011 PSSA.
Coatesville Area School District’s achievements come in the wake of President Obama’s announcement on September 29th that the administration is allowing states to walk away from No Child Left Behind, the federal program that is behind AYP evaluations.
Coatesville Area School District has experienced major success with AYP and continues to provide a nurturing environment for their students to learn and grow.
