TimesLeader.com

Dallas High School ranks 32nd in state in PSSA test scores

By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com

Dallas High School has learned that its 2009 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) 11th-grade science scores ranked 32 out of 501 school districts in Pennsylvania, reports Principal Jeffrey Shaffer.

According to Shaffer, science was added to the PSSAs just two years ago. Sixty-three percent of the Dallas students scored advanced or proficient in the science assessment, up from 48 percent the first year of the test. And, while 63 percent may seem low, the number still placed the district in the 93.8 percentile.

“Obviously, it’s something we’re very proud of,” Shaffer said. “It’s a testimony to the fruits of our labor. It’s the result of the work of a lot of people.”

Shaffer says 92 percent of 11th-graders scored advanced and proficient in 2009. In reading, the scores rose from 69 percent to 79 percent advanced or proficient in the past two years.

In math, 56 percent of the students scored advanced or proficient, Shaffer says. He believes that score is not reflective of the school’s high scores on Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus tests and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Shaffer says Dallas had the third highest math and reading scores on the SATs out of 37 local schools.

According to Shaffer, 37 students took the AP Calculus test in 2009. Of those students, 16 scored a five (the highest score) and eight students scored a four. Twenty-two students took the test in 2008, of which eight scored a five and eight scored a four.

School officials look at what material is being assessed and what they are required to teach and adjust the curriculum as necessary in an effort to improve scores, Shaffer says.

“We’re happy with our math in SATs and AP and we’re putting a lot of work into trying to get up the PSSAs,” Shaffer said.