POTTSTOWN PA – The future of elementary students in the Pottsgrove School District will be primarily driven by the Board of School Directors‘ Feb. 28 decision to create grade-level education centers, both proponents and critics agree. But the perception of their success – or lack of it – may hang in part on what begins today (Monday, March 12, 2012).
The state-mandated tests determine reading and math comprehension and proficiency for grades 3-8, and grade 11. They are scheduled, according to the district calendar, to continue through March 23.
PSSA results are the official yardstick Pennsylvania uses to measure how effectively Pottsgrove, or any of the more than 500 districts statewide, are teaching the basics to children in their care. An answer won’t be known for months.
By that time, however, Pottsgrove administrators and faculty members are expected to be knee-deep in planning to change the three kindergarten- through-fifth-grade elementaries into two K-2 centers (West and Ringing) and a 3-5 center (Lower).
The board’s nine directors unanimously ordered the centers to open in September for the 2012-2013 school year. The immediacy of their decision, advocated by Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis and his administration, gives building principals and teaching staffers less than seven months to make the switch.
- The board, in its meeting scheduled for Tuesday (March 13) at 7:30 p.m. in the Lower Pottsgrove building, Buchert Road, Pottstown PA, is expected to decide on the dividing line that dictates which K-2 children in various residential areas attend either West or Ringing. The discussion is open to the public. Its agenda is available for download from the district website, here.
Acknowledgment that change is coming, or at least has been authorized, is about the only thing in common between the two sides involved in a lengthy dispute over the centers.
Landis contends centers will help improve the quality of education by concentrating teachers where they are needed most, reduce class sizes, and possibly cut costs too. A large group of vocal parents, now calling itself Pottsgrove Residents For The Repeal of Centers, loudly disagrees. It argues the centers are being opened hastily, and will disrupt children’s education without yielding positive results.
Students at three of the five Pottsgrove schools have fared poorly on the PSSAs in recent years. When test results are unveiled next fall, they are anticipated to become the baseline against which the centers’ worthiness is judged. Observers note that creates increased pressure on Landis, administrators, the board and teachers to ensure they deliver improvements as promised.
Parents and teachers worry the kids feel pressure too.
Lower Pottsgrove Principal Ruth Fisher, in a Sunday evening (March 11) e-mail, admitted some parents may “need to assist in calming your child for the testing experiences,” while others “need to review the importance of the test” lest their youngsters “not take the testing seriously.” PSSA results “assist in determining interventions or enrichment activities to support your child the following school term,” Fisher noted.
“Our staff will be most sensitive to the children’s needs during this time. Academic assignments, both in class and at home, will be reduced and less demanding for the children in grades 3 – 5,” she added.
At the middle school, its Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) hopes to relieve tension by giving students there some mints. On its Facebook page recently, the PTO issued a call for donations of LifeSavers-brand mint candies to be distributed during testing. “The mints can be dropped off at the office or sent in with your child. Keep this in mind the next time you’re at the store and pick up a bag or two,” the group asked its readers.
Related (to Pottsgrove School District redistricting):
- Pottsgrove Future May Hinge On Tests That Start Today
- PTO Opens Friday Fun Night To ‘Redistricted’ Newcomers
- Police Presence At ‘Grove Labeled A ‘Misunderstanding’
- Pottsgrove Board OKs Ed Centers, Full-Day Kindergarten
- On Facebook, Via Cells, First The News Then A Firestorm
- Attention-Getter: Philly TV Crew Spends Its Day In ‘Grove
- Get A Seat Early For Tonight’s Pottsgrove Board Meeting
- Bright Yellow Signs Flag Pottsgrove Centers’ Opposition
- The Case Against Centers in the Pottsgrove School District
- Pottsgrove Ed Centers’ Opponents Launch Petition Drive
- Pottsgrove Principals Distribute Redistrict Info Letters
- Debate Aside, Pottsgrove K-Classes Sign-Up Starts
- Pottsgrove’s Case For Education Centers, Take Two
- Pottsgrove Says It Will Work To Improve Public Notice
- Pottsgrove Centers’ Talks Subdued; Decision Delayed
- Notebook Worthy: Pottsgrove, The Master Of Brevity
- It’s Official: ‘Grove Meeting Moved To High School
- Pottsgrove’s Case For Ed Centers: A Nutshell View
- In ‘Horse Race’ Of Opinions, Pottsgrove Serves As Track
- ‘Grove Residents Want Proof Ed Centers Will Succeed
- ‘The Blues’ May Await Pottsgrove’s School Board Tonight
- Both Sides In Pottsgrove Redistricting Head To Facebook
- Pottsgrove Crowd Vocal In Opposing Educational Centers
- Advocate: Pottsgrove Centers ‘Best Access’ To Resources
- Debate Over Pottsgrove Redistricting Gets Started Tuesday
- No Matter What Plan Pottsgrove Adopts, Buses Ready
- Redistricting Info ‘Slanted,’ Pottsgrove Volunteers Charge
- Pottsgrove Redistrict Discussions Quietly Move Ahead
- In Pottsgrove, Redistricting Study Work Gets Started
- Pottsgrove Sets Dates For Redistrict Committee Work
- As Expected, Interest A’Plenty In Pottsgrove Redistricting
- Landis Calls For Pottsgrove Redistricting Volunteers
- Touchy Pottsgrove Redistricting Now Being Considered
Related (regarding academic performance at Pottsgrove):
- ‘Grove Headache, ‘No Child Left Behind,’ Hits 10th Year
- Teachers Helping Classes Succeed, Newsletter Contends
- Poor Math, Reading At Pottsgrove High Frustrates Board
- State Says Pottsgrove Schools Make ‘Adequate Yearly Progress’
- Pottsgrove Teachers Review District Accountability Plan
- School Board Criticizes Lack of Students’ Improvement
- Notebook Worthy For March 23, 2009
- Pottsgrove Tops Many In Science, But …
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