Pennsylvania System of School Assessment

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is a standardised test administered to public schools in the state of Pennsylvania. Students in grades 3,4, 5, 6,7, 8, and 11 are assessed in reading skills and mathematics. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 are assessed in writing skills. As of 2008 students will also be assessed in skills relating to the natural science, primarily in the field of data interpretation and analysis.

Scoring

There are four levels on which a student may score: "advanced", "proficient", "basic", and "below basic". The Pennsylvania Department o' Education defines the four levels as follows.

Advanced

Proficient

Basic

Below Basic

AYP

Districts must meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in Reading and Math. To make AYP, the school and district must meet target percentages with all students, as well as with every subgroup of 40 or more students, scoring at the Advanced or Proficient level. The current targets are 56% in Math and 63% in Reading. In 2011 the targets are 67% in Math and 72% in reading. In 2012 the targets are 78% in Math and 91% in reading. In 2013 the targets are 89% in Math and 91% in reading. In 2014 the targets are 100% in Math and 100% in reading. Schools who fail to meet ATY for two consecutive years are subject to sanctions. Subgroups include: Title I, Limited English Proficiency, Students with IEPs, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, White Students, and Multi-racial/Multi-ethnic Students.

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