PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Math scores were up but reading was flat, in the latest state test scores for the School District of Philadelphia.
In an update to the school board Thursday night, Superintendent Tony Watlington pointed to three-year gains in the state PSSA math test, with 33.7% of third graders scored as proficient.
“In the past three years we've had a 12.9-percentage point increase in third-grade math, which is hugely significant,” Watlington said.
He said reading proficiently by third grade is a key indicator of future success, so the district would put special emphasis on third graders.
“We're taking our limited resources and we're trying to really focus hard on the front end of this pipeline so that as time goes by we send stronger students to high school.”
After two years of three-point gains, third grade English Language Arts proficiency took a step back, down 2.9 points over last year, with 31.4% of third graders scoring proficient. Deputy Superintendent Jermaine Dawson noted last year was the first for a new English curriculum.
“In ELA, we're not happy with those results. We want to go on the record and say that. Even though it is the first year of implementation, we still want to make this as a learning opportunity for us,” he said.
“What this curriculum has exposed for us is that many of these students did not have the foundational skills that were provided and what was expected of them on the state assessment.”
Dawson said the district plans to infuse more writing into the curriculum to improve English performance. In addition, 93 K-8 schools will get ELA coaches this year.