IN Greensburg Salem Summer 2019 | Page 26

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]. 24 GREENSBURG SALEM