Student Academic Achievement and Growth Data: 2023-24

The Future Ready PA Index and building level scores were released in November and take into account school performance on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), the Pennsylvania Value Added Assessment System (PVAAS), attendance rates, and graduation rate to determine a school’s score. Here are some highlights:

• When looked at from the district level, Colonial School District’s proficient and advanced combined scores were higher on average than both the county and state in all three categories of English/Language Arts ELA), math, and science (see charts on the right).
• The overall performance of Colonial School District students (Gr. 3-8) on the PSSA in 2023-24 increased in science over last year. Scores for math remained the same as in 2022-23 and scores for English/Language Arts decreased by a percentage point.
• Colonial Middle School saw gains in academic scores for students in math and science in 2023-24, and its highest-performing students demonstrated growth in 8th grade math.
• Plymouth Whitemarsh High School exceeded standards for academic growth in literature, algebra, and biology for the sixth year in a row. The high school also outperformed the state in all areas, and was ranked in the top five Montgomery County high schools for academic proficiency.
• Ridge Park Elementary School students made gains in the number of students achieving proficiency in English/Language Arts and math.
• Colonial Elementary School’s subgroups (students with IEPs, economically disadvantaged, students of color) all demonstrated growth in ELA, math and science.
• Ridge Park, Colonial Elementary School, and Plymouth Whitemarsh High School increased their Building Level scores from 2022-2023 to 2023-24.
• Whitemarsh Elementary School met the 2033 statewide goal for proficiency in ELA.

The Future Ready PA Index is the latest tool used to assess public school performance and incorporates a number of different variables when determining a school building score. It was launched in 2018 and is meant to take a more holistic view of school and student performance when evaluating academic achievement and progress. Schools are evaluated based on their academic achievement in grades 3-8 on the PSSA in the subjects of math and English/Language Arts (ELA), as well as science (starting with the 2024-25 school year, grades 5 and 8 will be tested, but in prior years, grades 4 and 8 were tested). Academic growth is also accounted for through the PVAAS scores, which measure how student cohorts perform year-to-year. At the high school level, Keystone Exam data is used to evaluate student achievement in the areas of algebra, literature, and biology.  Data compiled through the index is also used in a calculation to determine school building level scores that are used as part of the Educator Effectiveness tool to evaluate teacher and principal performance. 

Future Ready PA Index information is reviewed annually in the winter at Curriculum Committee meetings. All schools use the index data, along with other types of local assessments, to determine strengths, areas of focus, and strategies to ensure that student academic achievement and growth are on the rise. Each building presented a look at their building’s achievement and growth data, and provided a more in-depth look at the performance of student subgroups. Highlights of School Improvement Plans were also shared.  While the state does not require Colonial to develop such plans, they are prepared every year so that the district can continue to target areas for improvement and cultivate student achievement and growth.

To see the presentations for elementary level data, click here. To listen to the audio from the committee meeting where the presentation was made, click here. 

To see the presentations for secondary level data, click here. To listen to the audio from the committee meeting where the presentation was made, click here.

To access the Future Ready PA index, click here