Perkiomen Valley School District Annual Report 2016-17 Annual Report 2016-17 | Page 2

Introduction
To Our Community,
When you think of your own school experience, what comes to mind? Perhaps your recollec-
tion is of a teacher standing at the front of the room, writing on the chalkboard or reading
from a textbook. If you’re a little younger, perhaps you remember your teachers using an
overhead projector or working from a SmartBoard.
Seen here are members from the 2016-17 Perkiomen Valley
School District Board of Directors. From left to right, in the back
row, are Lynn Bigelow, Justine Myers, Rachael Charyna, Ann
Mantey, and Lori Snyder. In the front row, from left to right, are
Beth Negro, President Rich Bouher, Vice President Gerry Barnefi-
her, and Rich Flynn.
Index
PV Fast Facts.................................................................................Page 3
School Performance Profile (SPP) Scores..............................Page 4
Grade 3 Reading Scores..............................................................Page 5
PSSA English/Language Arts Scores.......................................Page 5
PSSA Math & Science Scores....................................................Page 6
High School SPP and Graduate Data.........................................Page 7
AP/SAT/ACT Test Scores...........................................................Page 8
PVAAS (Academic Growth) Results..........................................Page 9
Behind the Data....................................................................Page 10-11
Student Highlights.......................................................................Page 12
Staff Highlights...........................................................................Page 13
Budget Information.............................................................Page 14-15
Grants............................................................................................Page 16
Our Mission
The mission of the Perkiomen Valley
School District is to provide a rich
academic and cultural learning
environment that maximizes available
resources to assure that all students
grow intellectually, socially, and
emotionally, attaining the skills necessary
to become successful citizens.
While the tools and technology used in our classrooms have certainly changed over the
years, the one thing that has remained relatively constant in our idea of education is that the
teacher remains the center of the learning experience at the front of the room, while students
sit in their seats and learn. It’s an approach that’s become known as “sit-n-git.” Students sit
and “get” knowledge that their teachers convey to them.
In the Perkiomen Valley School District, we have been working hard to move beyond this
model, and it is why we have titled this report Putting Students at the Center of Learning. Over
the last several years, thanks to leadership provided by recently retired Superintendent Dr.
Clifford Rogers and our School Board, we have made great strides in “flipping classrooms”
so that students are sometimes the ones in front of the classroom driving the learning. Our
administration, with support from our School Board, have worked diligently over the past
year to help students feel empowered to guide their own learning and to provide teachers
with the professional development they need to embrace this new model.
Some examples of our efforts to put students at the center of learning are outlined on pages
10 and 11 of this report. I hope you will read on to learn more. In my new role as Superinten-
dent, I am proud to continue the work of my predecessor and have encouraged all faculty and
staff to “do school different.” It is important for us to break away from the traditions we may
have been accustomed to in school because our students are growing up in a different world
than we did. They are living in an era where they can learn from anyone, anytime, anywhere
in the world. They can consume endless amounts of information, as well as create their own
content and share it with many. Through digital devices, they are more in control of their
learning than ever before. Traditional learning and schooling, as you or I might have experi-
enced it, are leaving the building.
Fortunately, you live in a district where innovative ideas thrive and are supported. I am proud
of the many teachers and educational leaders in our district who are striving every day to
put students at the center of their learning. And of course, it helps tremendously to have a
community that supports us every step of the way. Thank you, and I look forward to working
with you in the years to come.
Sincerely,
Barbara A. Russell, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
2 * PVSD Annual Report 2016-17
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