PSSA's...Only 25 Days Away!

 February 6, 2014

                                    

                                                                                    

Hello Dobson Families,

Your children may have shared with you that we are currently engaged in what we call our ‘PSSA Prep Season’. March is the month in which we will be administering our standardized testing at Dobson Elementary School. Therefore, I’d like to take this opportunity to inform you about the testing process and how the results are used.

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, PSSA, an untimed test, will be administered in grades three through eight, March 14th through March 17th. This is a group administered, standardized test of reading and mathematics achievement. Pupils will be asked to answer both multiple choice and open ended questions. This is a criterion referenced test, which means pupils are tested on Pennsylvania Standards which have been taught within the classroom this school year. All third through eighth graders in the Commonwealth are required to participate in the PSSA; this includes pupils with Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) and English Language Learners, (ELLs). Pupils with multiple handicaps or severe disabilities are administered an alternative form of the test (PASA).

The results of the PSSA are used in many ways.  First, and probably foremost, the results serve as the accountability data for the Federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Each Pennsylvania School District must publish a “District Report Card” which will provide data on school and district performance. Individual student results are not included in published data. The state of Pennsylvania, in turn, uses the information from the 501 school districts in the Commonwealth to develop a state report card, which is submitted to the federal government. The school results which are submitted to both the State and Federal Departments of Education, influence many things from the amount of state and federal financial support provided to state districts, to takeovers of “failing” school districts by the state.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education has identified four levels of achievement on the PSSA:  Advanced, Proficient, Basic and Below Basic.  “High stakes testing” will be a part of the American educational landscape for the foreseeable future.  We at Dobson School are committed to providing our students with learning opportunities that will enable them to approach these experiences with skill and confidence.  We are equally committed to providing our pupils with the science, art, music, technology and physical education experiences that are vital to their development as lifelong learners.

 It is imperative that all pupils come to school everyday, well rested and on time.  We will provide breakfast before the test each morning.  We have also created a positive testing environment for the entire school community by conducting school wide ‘busy bee’ rallies and incentive raffles for participation, attendance, punctuality and citizenship. (Ask your child about the PPAA!- Principal’s Perfect Attendance Association!) 

Prizes are possible thanks to the generosity of the Home and School.

If you have any questions regarding the test, please contact our testing coordinator, JoEllen Paldino or me, 215-487-4800.

With your help, all Dobson pupils will perform well on the 2014 PSSA!

Thank you for your ongoing, unwavering support!

Truly yours,

Patricia Cruice   Principal