Official: NL needs to improve special ed population

Northern Lehigh School District has received the designation of Targeted Support and Improvement for its high school special education population.

High school Principal Robert Vlasaty made the announcement at a recent school board meeting as part of the district’s 2018-19 assessment data presentation.

Vlasaty said the designation is assigned to schools that have a consistently underperforming subgroup as defined by the state. He noted that the fall of 2019 was the first time that the designation was being assigned to schools.

“Locally, we must create, approve and implement a plan to be carried out during the 2019-2020 school year to improve in these areas,” Vlasaty said. “Failure will result in Additional Targeted Support and Improvement or Comprehensive Support and Improvement designation being assigned in 2021 for a three-year cycle.”

Vlasaty said achievement for the school’s Math and English Language Arts combined in the 2018-19 school year was math at 5.0%, and ELA at 14.3%, for an average of 9.8%, compared to the 48.4% cut scores; regular attendance for the school’s program in the 2017-18 school year was 63.4%, compared to the 85.1% cut scores, while the career standards benchmark for the school’s program in the 2018-19 school year is 54.6% compared to the 87.3% cut scores.

He said the focus at the high school will be on ELA achievement and growth for students with disabilities by way of assessment anchors; math achievement for students with disabilities through review of replacement math courses to ensure alignment with standards, as its data team will be investigating the incorporation of the CDT’s next year; future ready achievement through future ready skills classes and implementation of Xello; college and career readiness for students with low socioeconomic status by mentoring, goal setting, teamwork, leadership, agility, perseverance, and networking; improved attendance, discipline and SWPBIS practices; creating a trauma-informed staff; and a more supportive transition from the middle school to the high school.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tania Stoker and Director of Special Education Michele Dotta then discussed the situation.

Students are identified as economically disadvantaged if they qualify for free or reduced lunch.

For 2018-19, the percentage of district students who were ED districtwide was 41.6%.

These funds are linked to the Federal Title Programs in the elementary schools, and are used to provide intervention services to students in need.

The focus for the economically disadvantaged is as follows: elementary students in need of remediation services are identified by test scores and other means in the district’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support process and work with their classroom teachers or an academic interventionist in the area of need; middle school students in need of assistance in a subject area work with their classroom teacher during Flex Period to get the help that they need; and high school students, any student who needs extra help has the opportunity to meet with teachers or school counselors after school.

Dotta said the focus on special education will be to increase Aimsweb usage across schools; continue to expand Specially Designed Instruction within the regular education classroom; middle school, high school review math replacement curriculum and standard alignment; Slatington Elementary, middle school, and high school, provide professional development for read 180 and system 44; quarterly meetings to discuss student progress; and high school flexible scheduling.

The board also heard from James Schnyderite, principal, Peters Elementary; Scott Pyne, principal, Slatington Elementary; and Jill Chamberlain, principal, Northern Lehigh Middle School.

Stoker noted that the Future Ready PA Index was first used for 2017-18 data and replaced the School Performance Profile.

She said the Future Ready PA Index recognizes that students — and the schools that serve them — are more than just results on standardized tests. It features a collection of indicators that illustrate academic proficiency, on-track progress, and college and career readiness — helping to demonstrate how schools are doing in preparing students for post secondary success.

The index tracks statewide Assessments, On-Track Measures, and College and Career Readiness Measures.

Northern Lehigh 2018-19 Assessment Data results

Northern Lehigh School District’s 2018-19 Assessment Data was presented to the school board recently, with the following results:

Peters Elementary

Attendance

91.4%; statewide average, 85.8%; statewide performance standard, 94.1%

School Performance Profile

78.7%, up from 68.8% in the 2017-18 school year.

Slatington Elementary

Attendance

93.9%; statewide average, 85.8%; statewide performance standard, 94.1%.

PSSA

English Language Arts/Literature: 63.9% of the students were advanced/proficient, compared to 61.7% in the state (Grades 3-6).

Math: 47.5% of the student were advanced/proficient, compared to 45.9% in the state (Grades 3-6).

Science: 80.0% of the students were advanced/proficient, compared to 77.8% in the state (Grade 4).

Future Ready Achievement

All student groups meet the interim goal/improvement targets in English Language Arts/Literature, Math, and Science.

Future Ready Growth

All student groups did not meet the interim goal/improvement targets in English Language Arts/Literature, Math, and Science.

School Performance Profile

62.7%, up from 61.7% in the 2017-18 school year.

College and career readiness

All student groups exceed the performance standard.

Northern Lehigh Middle School

Attendance

91.3%; statewide average, 85.8%; statewide performance standard, 94.1%.

PSSA

English Language Arts/Literature: 52% of the students were advanced/proficient, compared to 59.2% in the state (Grades 7-8).

Math, 28.5% were advanced/proficient, compared to 35.2% in the state (Grades 7-8).

Keystone Algebra 1, 90.4% were advanced/proficient, compared to 39.1% in the state.

Science, 51.7% were advanced/proficient, compared to 58.2% in the state (Grade 8).

Future Ready Achievement

All student groups did not meet the interim goal/improvement targets in English Language Arts/Literature, Math, and Science.

Future Ready Growth

All student groups exceeds the standard demonstrating growth in English Language Arts/Literature, and Mathematics/Algebra, but did not meet the standard demonstrating growth in Science/Biology.

School Performance Profile

60.1%, up from 58.0% in the 2017-18 school year.

College and career readiness

All student groups exceed the performance standards.

Northern Lehigh High School

Attendance

82.6%; statewide average, 85.8%; statewide performance standard, 94.1%.

SATs

Students scored higher on both the 2019 (1,098 compared to the 1,059 National Average) and 2018 Math SATs (1,111 compared to the 1,068 National Average).

Achievement

Keystone Literature, 63.3% of the students were advanced/proficient, compared to 71.5% in the state.

Keystone Algebra I, 60.2% were advanced/proficient, compared to 63.3% in the state.

Keystone Biology, 63.9% were advanced/proficient, compared to 63.2% in the state.

Future Ready Achievement

Not all student groups met the interim goal/improvement targets in English Language Arts/Literature and Science/Biology, but all the student groups did meet the interim goal/improvement targets in Math/Algebra.

Future Ready Growth

All student groups exceeded the standard demonstrating growth in English Language Arts/Literature, Math/Algebra, and Science/Biology.

School Performance Profile

78.7%, compared to 82.8% in 2017-18 school year.

TSI – High school special education

Achievement: Math and ELA Combined: 2018-2019, cut scores, 48.4% Math, NL score, 5.0% ELA = 14.3% Avg = 9.8%

Regular Attendance: 2017-2018, cut scores, 85.1%, NL score 63.4%

Career Standards Benchmark: 2018-2019, cut score, 87.3%, NL score 54.6%

Slatington Elementary

Achievement

ELA (67 tested): Advanced, 1%; Proficient, 18%; Basic, 46%; Below Basic, 34%; A&P, 19%

Math (67 tested): Advanced, 3%; Proficient, 13%; Basic, 33%; Below Basic, 51%; A&P, 16%

Science (N/A n-count): Advanced, 6%; Proficient, 31%; Basic, 56%; Below Basic, 6%; A&P, 37%

Northern Lehigh Middle School

Achievement

ELA (32 tested): Advanced, 0%; Proficient, 9%; Basic, 59%; Below Basic, 31%; A&P, 9%

Math (32 tested): Advanced, 0%; Proficient, 3%; Basic, 6%; Below Basic, 91%; A&P, 3%

Science (N/A n-count): Advanced, 0%; Proficient, 27%; Basic, 13%; Below Basic, 60%; A&P, 27%

Northern Lehigh High School

Achievement

Literature: Advanced, 4%; Proficient, 21%; Basic, 21%; Below Basic, 54%; A&P, 25%

Algebra I: Advanced, 1 0%; Proficient, 10%; Basic, 30%; Below Basic, 60%; A&P, 10%

Biology: Advanced, 9%; Proficient, 9%; Basic, 22%; Below Basic, 61%; A&P, 17%

11th Cohort

Literature: A&P, 14%

Algebra I: A&P, 5%

Biology: A&P, 19%

Special Ed – PASA

State allows 1% of all students

2018-2019: 17 students, 1.9% through a waiver

2019-2020: 14 students, 1.5% through a waiver

Historically Underperforming – high school

Keystones

Literature (49 tested): Advanced, 6%; Proficient, 35%, Basic, 33%, Below Basic, 27%, A&P, 41%, PA, 52%

Algebra 1 (48 tested): Advanced, 10%, Proficient, 23%; Basic, 38%, Below Basic, 29%, A&P, 33%, PA, 42%

Biology (48 tested): Advanced, 8; Proficient, 35%, Basic, 27%, Below Basic, 29%, A&P, 43%, PA, 58%