Opting In - the Value of PSSAs
School 1 -- All entering 5th grade students start the year at ‘basic’ in Math … they have a partial understanding and limited display of the required skills expected at the end of 4th grade. By the end of school, all 5th graders are proficient –they now have a solid understanding and adequate display of 5th grade math content and standards.
School 2 -- Entering 5th grade students are all ‘proficient’ in Math. By the end of school, 1/4 are ‘basic’, 1/2 are ‘proficient’, and 1/4 are ’advanced’ or have a in-depth understanding and exemplary display of 5th grade content and standards.
School 3 -- Half of entering 5th grade students are ‘proficient’, and half are ‘advanced’. By the end of school, the same half remain ‘proficient’ and the other half remain ‘advanced’.Measuring Achievement Let’s start looking at achievement. Which school ends the year with the highest level of student achievement? School 1 and School 2 are similar … on average both are ‘proficient’. School 1 educated all students to the required level. School 2 has 25% of its students performing at the advanced level, but also 25% performing at only the basic level. Most observers would say that School 1 has better achievement results than School 2 … no children have been “left behind”.
