POTTSTOWN PA – Students at only one of five Pottsgrove School District schools – Ringing Rocks Elementary – achieved what Pennsylvania views as “adequate yearly progress (AYP)” in raising learners’ proficiency in math and reading, administrators conceded Tuesday (Sept. 11, 2012) to the Board of School Directors. The remainder – Pottsgrove High, Pottsgrove Middle, and West and Lower Pottsgrove elementaries, didn’t meet state expectations, they said.
Dr. Todd Davies explained the district’s adequate yearly progress results Tuesday
Although now official, the announcement by Director of Education and Assessment Dr. Todd Davies was neither new or unexpected. Because federal regulations tied to education funding require it, the district about a month ago similarly alerted parents of students at affected schools.
AYP is demanded under the federal government’s 10-year-old “No Child Left Behind” Act. Its intent is to raise educational levels – how well kids can read, and how accurately they can calculate – across all grades of students nationwide. According to Davies, that didn’t happen during the 2011-2012 academic year at any Pottsgrove building overall except Ringing.
Instead, the high school missed its AYP target for a third consecutive year; the middle school and Lower Pottsgrove both missed for a second year; and West Pottsgrove, which successfully made AYP during 2011, also missed its target. Ringing, on the other hand, has had two consecutive years of successes.
Reaction by members of the current school board, in sharp contrast to their predecessors, was subdued and muted.
During each of the past three years, when AYP results – particularly those of the high school – had been released, several previous directors were openly critical of the district’s lack of progress. By comparison, only one board member commented on Davies’ overview report Tuesday, and that was to praise Pottsgrove’s faculty.
“I’m very positive for Pottsgrove,” director Patricia Grimm offered. “We’ve got a long way to go, but I think we have the team in place to get the job done,” she said.
The building-by-building, grade, and demographic numbers for just how well, or how poorly, students fared have not yet been released by the state Department of Education. They are not expected until October, after all districts have exhausted their ability to appeal some of the results and rankings. A more thorough public examination of those numbers is anticipated then.
To that end, Davies reported he had already planned what is being billed as a “community connection” meeting for Oct. 2 (Tuesday) from 7-9 p.m. at the library in the high school, 1345 Kauffman Rd., to answer parents’ questions and talk about the district’s “blueprint for improvement.” The event will be open to the public.
Related (to the Pottsgrove Board of School Directors’ Sept. 11 meeting):
- ‘Grove Issues 100+ Payments For Extracurricular Work
- Four Of 5 Pottsgrove Schools Missed Progress Targets
- Pottsgrove Promises Fix For 3-To-A-Seat Busing Worries
Perhaps a proportional percentage of the teachers and adminstrators salaries should be withheld for the below par performanace and returned when they meet expectations.
What’s their excuse for failing?
It’s a good thing we are selling and moving out of this district. This was bound to happen with all these low life free loaders coming up from Philadelphia. I bet test scores would climb drastically if you eliminated certain areas in the Township.
Lori, I’m publishing your comment because The Post believes everyone is entitled to an opinion.
Now for mine:
I consider your remarks, at the very least, in bad taste; and at the worst, discriminatory. As citizens, we’ve got a responsibility to ensure every child, no matter where he or she moved from or to, gets a good education. I would no sooner exclude “certain areas in the township” from that responsibility than I would exclude you or your children. I offer you my best wishes on the speedy and profitable sale of your real estate.
Joe Zlomek, Managing Editor
The Sanatoga Post
Bad taste and discriminatory, no. A fact, yes. Speak to some of the teachers in the district and they will agree with me. There’s a portion of our township that brings down the whole district. I can’t speak with the West Pottsgrove school but ours is easy to see. All you have to look at is which elementary school was not up to standards. Just follow their bus and see where 90 percent of the students come from. This is not blame the teachers. Teachers can only teach those who want to learn and have guidance at home.
Lori, whether you like it or not (and it’s obvious you don’t), the ENTIRE township is part of the school district. You can’t remove a portion of it to suit whatever your needs may be, for the same reason you can’t selectively pay your taxes. And surely you don’t mean to say (or maybe you do, and if so, shame on you) that ALL the students in whatever portion you’d like to segregate have no interest, no desire, or no will to learn.
Sadly, I do believe there are some teachers who may agree with you. Probably to your great dissatisfaction, and theirs, some students (but not all) have migrated here from Philadelphia. The world is filled of all kinds of people. That’s called diversity, by the way; a term with which you may want to become more familiar.
No, Lori, you’re right, it’s not bad taste you’re guilty of; it’s ugly taste. Thanks, nonetheless, for your thought-provoking comments.