How Did Phoenixville Score On The Latest PA School Performance Profile?

PHOENIXVILLE, PA -- The state released its School Performance Profile scores from 2015-2016 on Thursday, and Phoenixville Area High School's scores are in.

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.

Phoenixville has scored an 84.1, according to the newly released data. That's good enough to be in the third tier of scores, behind 90-100 and 100-plus.

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, Phoenixville scored 71.02, and on the Literature PSSA, 79.79. 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."

Phoenixville scored high marks in the "Other Academic Indicators" category, earning a 100 score for both PSAT and AP preparation.

Some of the top-performing high schools in the region include Central Bucks High School East, North Penn High School, 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.