Letter from the
Superintendent
Dr. Gary Peiffer
Dear Parents, Students, Community Members, Alumni,
and Friends of the Greensburg Salem School District,
A
s April rolls around every year, students in grades 3-8 sharpen
their pencils in preparation for the annual Pennsylvania System
of School Assessment exams given in English, Math, and Science.
Likewise, students at the secondary level get ready to take the spring
administration of the end of course assessments in Algebra I, English
Language Arts, and Biology known as the Keystone Exams. These
exams do not take into account standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, AP
and NOCTI. For some, the act of taking such tests is the prime example
of pedantry and drudgery extant in America’s public schools. A time
consuming, resource-wasting exercise in pedagogical regurgitation,
the equivalent of Henry Ford’s invention of the assembly line in 1913.
(Sure, production time of the Model T was reduced from 12 hours to 2
and a half hours, but you could only get it painted in one color.)
For others, the annual taking of standardized tests serves as a
way to demonstrate mastery regarding what he or she has learned
over the year on the day of the test in the same way that an athlete
demonstrates the cumulative effects of practice and training when the
day of the game comes around.
For educators, the use of the test serves as a way to evaluate the
effectiveness of the instruction, curriculum, practice tests, and supports
that have been put in place to help students master the academic
content. It is one of several measures that are used to determine the
quality and rigor of the academic program. Scores are examined to
determine how an individual student performed, as well has how
groups and subgroups of students have performed. These aggregate
scores are then compared with statewide scores to compare our
program to those around the Commonwealth. In turn, the state test
scores are compared to the national test scores and national test
scores are compared with international ones. All of this is so we can
gauge the effect of our program and use the data to identify curricular
and instructional needs. The test results help us to answer questions
around our own efficacy as a school and our ability to prepare
graduates to meet the challenges and demands waiting for them as
adults in the future.
Ultimately, our goal as educators is to prepare students for the
future. Student test data informs that preparation. Sticking with
the athletic analogy, reviewing student test data is like high school
football players reviewing game films the Saturday morning after a
big competition to see what plays worked well and what plays need to
be improved. Educators use student data to improve their game and
have been doing so since the Committee of Ten defined what a high
school curriculum should look like back in 1894. The standardized
tests don’t just measure the individual student, they measure the
entire program. As such, the test results help us to evaluate and
plan programs that best meet the needs of our students. Questions
that arise from the data include what instructional methods are
working well, is the content of what is being taught rigorous
and relevant to the needs of the students, and is there anything
“Test results help us
to evaluate and plan
programs that best
meet the needs of our
students.”
we can add or delete that can improve the way
we deliver education. If the curriculum lays out a
path for instruction and assessment, is there more
than one way to walk that path? What skills are
essential for students to be successful and what
skills have fallen into disuse? (How many schools
still teach shorthand, for example?)
Preparing students for some form of
standardized test to measure their knowledge
and skill acquisition will more than likely remain
as a facet of education for some time to come.
What content those assessments test may change,
though, as the needs of our students and society
change. At some point, students may be tested
on their computational thinking and digital
competency or their financial literacy. It may
be as important for students to demonstrate
bilingual competency in the future as it is for
them to be able to read and write. It may be that
demonstration of mastery in some applicable
skill related to careers in Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts and Math would count towards
graduation and program evaluation as heavily as
performance on standardized tests currently do
now. As students get ready to take their exams
this spring, we will be getting ready to review
the data with a look to continuous improvement
in our own courses and programs here at
Greensburg Salem.
In the meantime, we will ask students to have
their #2 pencils at the ready to fill in the circle and
complete the equations- April has arrived!
The Greensburg Salem School District pages are edited and compiled by the Community Relations Department. For more
information please contact Melissa O’Brien, at 724.832.2907 or [email protected].
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GREENSBURG SALEM