How Did North Penn Score On The Latest PA School Performance Profile?

LANSDALE, PA -- The state released its School Performance Profile scores from 2015-2016 on Thursday, and North Penn High School is looking pretty impressive.

The assessment, done each year, gives each school a score of up to 100 using several factors, including test scores, student improvement from the past year, as well as graduation rates.

North Penn scored a better than perfect 100.3, placing them in the top tier of all schools.

This year’s School Performance Profile scores are the first to reflect student performance on the new, more rigorous PSSA, according to officials at the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Click here to access the entire database of School Performance Profiles, including local results.

On the PSSA for Mathematics, North Penn scored 89.46 and on the Literature PSSA, 91.79. The PSSA's were one of six categories on which each school was graded.

“The process of transitioning to the new, more rigorous PA Core Standards is ongoing, and schools, administrators, and teachers have been working diligently to design curriculum, update lesson plans, and align learning tools to the new standards,” said Department of Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera. “As these improved resources are instituted in our classrooms, student performance on the PSSA is anticipated to grow."

North Penn earned it's better-than-perfect score by ranking highly in the "Extra Credit for Advanced Achievement" category. That category measured the percent of advanced students in PSSA and AP exams. One notable statistic: 89 percent of all AP Exam takers at North Penn scored a 3 or higher on their test.

The score places North Penn among the top-performing high schools in the region, including Central Bucks High School East, Haverford High School, Council Rock High School North, Downingtown STEM Academy and Springfield High School in Delaware County.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that education officials have in the past said a score below 70 was considered "failing," however this year a "passing grade" was not offered.

Officials say the School Performance Profile is just one indicator of how schools are supporting student learning.

Because the formula used to determine the score is "heavily dependent" on standardized test scores, the department is working with stakeholders to determine how to make it a "better, more holistic measure," Rivera said.

“Schools, teachers, and communities are working hard to prepare Pennsylvania’s students to graduate college and career ready, and to be able to compete in the 21st century job market,” Rivera said.

Patch file photo.