The PSSA and Pre-college Testing

Mathematical skills are used every day, whether it be in reading the stock section of a newspaper or trying to predict the outcome of that weekend's NFL game. Children develop an understanding of numbers very early in their education, and this numerical knowledge and logical reasoning will carry them in daily activities throughout the rest of their lives. It is extremely important for teachers to efficiently address certain areas of the curriculum in order for students to fully develop their mathematical skills. However, it is difficult for schools to know precisely what material should and should not be thoroughly taught. The No Child Left Behind Act states that all students must be proficient at state assessments by 2014. Keeping this in mind, every state has the choice to evaluate students through their own approach. States' pre-college testing procedures vary across the country, making the goals of the students and schools within these various states different as well. The proficiency test given Pennsylvania is the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, also known as the PSSA. This test measures the students' understanding of academic standards and simultaneously determines how well school programs allow students to achieve a numerical understanding. The PSSA is a pre-college, summative assessment that is a component of the overall process to make students mathematically proficient.

A summative assessment measures students' learning relative to the content standards and also determines the effectiveness of a program. (NMSA). Teachers and school officials can use the results of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment to address the issues of certain students as well as gain insight on the effectiveness of their curriculum. Meanings and Consequences: a basis for distinguishing formative and summative functions of assessment? takes well-known educational psychologist Benjamin S. Bloom's idea in saying, "They defined as summative evaluation tests those assessments given at the end of units, mid-term and at the end of a course, which are designed to judge the extent of students' learning of the material in a course, for the purpose of grading, certification, evaluation of progress or even for the researching of the effectiveness of a curriculum" (Wiliam 537). Summative assessments can be very helpful in the development of students' mathematical proficiency. Students in grades three through eight and eleven take the PSSA in early April, and the test evaluates the students' understanding of the mathematical material in the previous year. The assessment consists of multiple choice questions in addition to free response problems, allowing students to show their numerical skills by doing more than simply filling in a bubble.

In 2002 the Pennsylvania Board of Education developed an approach called the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System (PVAAS). This system is quoted as being, " a statistical method used to measure the influence of a district and school on the academic progress rates of individual students and groups of students from year to year" (PVAAS). Through this unique approach, teachers will be able to monitor the progress of students who are high-achievers as well as students who are unsuccessful in fully developing their mathematical skills. Teachers can view concepts a student is struggling to understand and can further assist them in those areas when necessary.

The PVAAS can also assist schools and districts in determining the effectiveness of their educational programs. Every student in grades three through eight and again in grade eleven are assessed in their mathematical skills. The standardized test is given in early April and evaluates students' understanding of concepts that have been taught so far that year. This process helps schools determine if there was adequate growth at each grade level. They can identify which students, whether below basic, basic, proficient, or advanced, are expanding their knowledge of mathematical concepts at an acceptable pace. This evaluation will thus help schools determine how productive their educational program truly is. As Dr. Timothy Quinn, a Superintendent from Elizabeth Area School District, states, "School districts have a responsibility to utilize the most advanced technologies available to them. The value-added assessment system provides a missing piece of data to assist districts in evaluating student achievement and addressing programmatic needs" (PVAAS). Furthermore, schools and districts can look into the growth and development of various subgroups of students with different racial and ethnic backgrounds, students with limited English proficiency, the special education students, and the economically disadvantaged students. They will be capable of targeting certain groups in order to intervene and aim to make all students mathematically proficient.

In addition to the PVAAS, Pennsylvania uses Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) to further develop students' skills needed for the future. AYP measures the progress of schools and districts in their capacity to make all students capable of working with numbers in different contexts. It targets three distinct areas including attendance, academic performance, and test participation. Schools target a 90% attendance rate or any other improvement from the previous school year. This report helps districts in measuring the presence of students in different programs, allowing schools to obtain a better understanding of where they stand in making students mathematically literate. In addition, AYP measures proficiency with the standardized test scores from each year. The targets for the 2006-2007 school year were at least 45% of students scoring proficient in math. In 2008 the goal increases to 56% of students being mathematically proficient, and finally in 2014, 100% of students are expected to score proficient or higher (AYP). The results from each year help schools determine how effective their programs are and can eventually lead to an overall goal of numerical proficiency. Finally, Adequate Yearly Progress evaluates the participation rate of students and each subgroup taking the test. The participation rates help schools and districts determine if test results are accurate. One requirement for AYP is to have at least 95% of students or students in a subgroup take the test. This will provide results that can help schools target certain students in specific areas. AYP helps schools acquire a better understanding of where students are in the development of their numerical skills, and this knowledge can ultimately help students obtain mathematical proficiency.

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment helps all parties concerned when it comes to the development of mathematical skills. This summative assessment is more than just an evaluation of where one student stands relative to other students of the same grade level. Instead, this test helps teachers target the specific needs of students while the schools they teach in are simultaneously provided feedback on their educational programs. This combination is ideal when it comes to developing students' numerical skills and making every child mathematically proficient for the future.

Bibliography

1) "Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom." National Middle School Association. 2007. National Middle School Association. 5 Nov 2007 .

2) Wiliam, Dylan. "Meanings and Consequences." JSTOR. 1996. British Educational Research Association. 5 Nov 2007 .

3) "Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System (PVAAS)." Pennsylvania Department of Education. 10/12/2007. Pennsylvania Department of Education. 5 Nov 2007 .

4) "AYP Facts." Pennsylvania Department of Education Academic Achievement Report: 2006-07. August 15, 2007. Pennsylvania Department of Education. 5 Nov 2007 .