Pittsburgh schools just miss federal progress standard

Pittsburgh Public Schools failed to achieve adequate yearly progress -- the federal academic performance standard known as AYP -- this year, but state test data show that the district made marked improvement in reading and math proficiency in middle grades.

However, there was little improvement in high school results, which showed a slight increase in 11th grade reading and a slight dip in math proficiency.

In reporting the results on Monday, Superintendent Mark Roosevelt said they reflect the progress of his administration's agenda in turning around the city's failing schools, which started with the 2006 right-sizing plan that closed 22 schools, created K-8 school models and now continues with a plan to reshape secondary education.

"What we are seeing is a decided pattern of improvement where we have been aggressive in making changes," Mr. Roosevelt said of the 2009-10 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment results.

The tests, which are given to students in grades 3-8 and grade 11, are the basis for determining whether a district achieves AYP, a set of standards public school districts are required to meet under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

AYP is based on math and reading results -- in addition to attendance, graduation rates and test participation -- although the PSSA also is given in writing and science in select grades.

To make AYP, schools and districts must meet targets for students overall as well as for certain student subgroups, such as minority children, poor children and children in special education. The targets periodically increase until 2014, when the federal No Child Left Behind Act calls for 100 percent of students to be proficient in reading and math.

To that end, the Pittsburgh schools achieved its AYP targets for the first time last year, putting it in the "making progress in correction action 2" category. This year, it barely missed the mark, Mr. Roosevelt said, because the district did not meet the reading proficiency target for students in special education. As such, the district returns to "corrective action 2," the lowest performance level.

Even then, 72 percent -- 43 of 60 schools -- made AYP this year compared to 53 percent -- 32 of 60 schools -- last year.

"Over the past three years, the largest gains in reading and math are in grades 6 through 8 where the district has made the most dramatic changes by closing six large, failing, comprehensive middle schools and expanding the number of K-8 schools," Mr. Roosevelt said.

He highlighted schools such as Pittsburgh Greenfield K-8, for increasing its reading proficiency by 21.2 points from 2009, and Pittsburgh Manchester K-8, which increased math proficiency by 14.2 points since 2007.

The challenge, however, still lies in how to improve high school academic achievement.

"I'm not happy with our results in that category, and that's why we have a plan to change a majority of our high schools," Mr. Roosevelt said.

With the exception of Pittsburgh Allderdice, Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, and Pittsburgh Obama 6-12, which showed modest improvements, Mr. Roosevelt said, high school performance was "unacceptable."

That reality, Mr. Roosevelt added, is the impetus for his Excel.9-12 proposal -- a reorganization of the city's secondary schools slated for school board consideration on Aug. 25.

Under the plan, the school district administration has proposed closing Pittsburgh Peabody High School, moving the International Baccalaureate program to the Peabody building and creating two single-gender academies at Pittsburgh Westinghouse High School, among other changes in the East End.

On the North Side, Pittsburgh Oliver High School would form a partnership with the Community College of Allegheny County to create four academies offering various career and technical education choices. The partnership would create what will be known as the Gateway Center to the Promise, serving all students in the North Side feeder pattern.

The plan marks the second phase of a five-year strategy Mr. Roosevelt laid out in 2007. Part of his reform agenda also includes a teacher evaluation and pay plan that essentially introduced merit pay in the district.

Woven into the five-year contract that Mr. Roosevelt reached with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, all teachers at the top of the pay scale stand to receive a $1,000 bonus each year that the district achieves AYP.

That will not happen this year.

First published on August 17, 2010 at 12:00 am