Daniel Boone Area School District Chief Academic Officer Michelle Cinciripino recently told the school board that the district is at a “fork in the road” after the district’s five school buildings all received “failing” grades on the state’s School Performance Profile (SPP).
The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently released the SPP scores for the state’s 500 public school districts.
Daniel Boone schools were five of 42 schools in the county’s 92 schools that didn’t reach the benchmark passing score of 70 percent.
District scores were: Amity Elementary Center, 62.9; Birdsboro Elementary Center, 60.7; Daniel Boone High School, 66.1; Daniel Boone Middle School, 68.5, and Monocacy Elementary Center, 60.7.
“Indicators of academic achievement” were obtained from the 2016-17 PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) standardized tests, as well as Keystone test results.
The SPP also considered “indicators of closing the achievement gap,” attendance and graduation rates, advanced placement and college credits, and the number of participants in the PSAT.
Comparing the schools’ 2015-16 scores, Amity Elementary decreased this year by 16.7 percent from 79.6; the High School decreased by 10 percent, the Middle School decreased by nine percent, and Monocacy Elementary Center decreased by seven percent.
Birdsboro Elementary Center’s current score of 60.7 was the same for 2015-16.
Cinciripino said at the Nov. 13 school board meeting that this “watershed moment” presents the fork in the road for the district to be proactive with immediate and long-term constructive changes.
She said the administration is developing long range, intermediate and immediate academic plans to provide future success.
Long range plans include full day kindergarten, continuing the partnership with the BCIU for the Pre-K Counts program, and examining curriculum writing.
“Where are we with curriculum writing? It’s a very important part, and we need to look at that.”
Intermediate plans include all high school students taking the PSAT, constructive feedback following twice monthly classroom walk-thrus, monthly teaching and learning meetings, teacher attendance, and writing “sound” IEPs.
Immediate solutions include retesting at the High School, ensuring priority of instruction time, verifying academic standards during walk-thrus, and progress monitoring for kindergarten through fifth grade.
Other immediate solutions are to add an hour of daily math and language arts/reading sessions for all students.
“Students get one chance at free and appropriate public education,” said Cinciripino.
“I think it was easier to control a class years ago and get kids to listen,” said board member David Rathgeb.
Amy Hicks, president of the local teachers’ union, the Daniel Boone Education Association, said the low SPP scores are the result of previous school boards furloughing elementary teachers, and classroom aids, as well as reducing the amount of time for encores.
Encore programs are art, music, library, physical education, and computer labs.
“Now you see the ramifications of those cuts, and you will continue to see them if [not] restored.”
In other business, the school board approved changing the names of two of the district’s buildings.
Effective with the 2018-19 school year, Amity Elementary Center’s name will change to Daniel Boone Intermediate Center.
Monocacy Elementary Center’s name will change to Daniel Boone Primary Center.
Superintendent James P. Harris said the district’s Chinese language program will be discontinued after this school year due to retiring instructors and lack of funding.
He said funding has decreased to bring instructors from China and to house them in the Berks County area.
