PSSA Analysis

 

Baseline Stats

The analysis utilizes PDE’s PSSA school-level data files for each year between 2015 and 2019. Table 1 shows the number of assessments each school completed by grade level. Notably, not all schools have the same grade range.

Table 1: Number of Assessments by Grade
	Grade
	3	4	5	6	7	8	School Total	Total
School
CHESTER COMM CS	8	8	8	8	8	8	4	4
CHESTER COMMUNITY CS	2	2	2	2	2	2		2
CHESTER UPLAND SCH OF ARTS	2	2	2					2
CHESTER UPLAND SCHOOL OF ARTS	8	8	8	2	2		4	4
MAIN STREET SCH	10	10	10	2		2	4	6
STEM AT SHOWALTER					10	10	4	6
STETSER EL SCH	10	10	10	8	2	4	4	6
TOBY FARMS INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL		2	4	10	10	10	4	6
#Total cases	40	42	44	32	34	36	24	36

 

Analytic Sample

The analyses in this report focus on grades four and five only, as these are the grades common across the elementary schools.

Table 2: Number of Assessments by Year and Grade
	2015			2016			2017			2018			2019			#Total
	Grade			Grade			Grade			Grade			Grade
	4	5		4	5		4	5		4	5		4	5
School
CHESTER COMMUNITY CS	2	2		2	2		2	2		2	2		2	2		20
CHESTER UPLAND SCHOOL OF ARTS	2	2		2	2		2	2		2	2		2	2		20
MAIN STREET SCH	2	2		2	2		2	2		2	2		2	2		20
STETSER EL SCH	2	2		2	2		2	2		2	2		2	2		20
TOBY FARMS INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL	2	2			2											6
#Total cases	10	10		8	10		8	8		8	8		8	8		86

 

The mean PSSA scores for each assessment are shown in the table below.

+ Proficient or advanced performance in English ranges between 20 and 30 percent of the student population between 2015 and 2019.
+ Proficient or advanced performance in Math ranges 7 and 14 percent for the same years.

Also note:

+ Stetser EL is included in PDE data as having an 8th grade; this is not accurate
+ Stetser has a different number of grades included in different years of the PSSA data

Table 3: Mean PSSA Scores by Year (Grades 4 and 5)
				year2
				2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Subject
English Language Arts	Percent_Advanced	Mean		3.5	3.9	3.0	3.5	4.1
		Std. dev.		4.5	4.2	2.5	7.2	7.3
		Unw. valid N		10.0	9.0	8.0	8.0	8.0
	Percent_Proficient	Mean		15.4	13.9	21.6	18.6	24.7
		Std. dev.		11.2	5.4	12.7	10.9	13.2
		Unw. valid N		10.0	9.0	8.0	8.0	8.0
	% Proficient or Adv.	Mean		18.9	17.9	24.6	22.0	28.8
		Std. dev.		15.1	6.8	13.9	12.6	16.8
		Unw. valid N		10.0	9.0	8.0	8.0	8.0
Math	Percent_Advanced	Mean		1.7	3.2	2.3	2.1	1.1
		Std. dev.		4.2	3.9	3.5	3.7	1.9
		Unw. valid N		10.0	9.0	8.0	8.0	8.0
	Percent_Proficient	Mean		10.8	10.1	11.6	5.0	7.5
		Std. dev.		11.7	7.3	10.4	7.9	4.7
		Unw. valid N		10.0	9.0	8.0	8.0	8.0
	% Proficient or Adv.	Mean		12.5	13.2	13.9	7.1	8.6
		Std. dev.		15.6	10.6	13.2	10.8	6.1
		Unw. valid N		10.0	9.0	8.0	8.0	8.0

 

 

Performance in English by School and Grade Level

Performance in Math by School and Grade Level

PSSA Scores and Poverty

Previous research consistently describes the disadvantages of poverty for schools. Figures 1 (English) and 2 (Math) highlights the following:

  + Even after controlling for poverty, Chester Community CS  performs much worse in English achievement than schools with similar amounts of poverty (that is, schools with about 100% poverty enrollment);
  + Chester Community CS performs better than only one other school in the district
  + Chester Community CS performs better than only one other school in the district, and about the same as three other schools 

				year2
				2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Subject
English Language Arts	PctProAdv	Mean		51.7	51.9	53.3	53.2	52.9
		Std. dev.		20.0	20.1	20.1	19.5	19.7
		Unw. valid N		19527.0	19406.0	19331.0	18054.0	17923.0
	EconDis	Mean		49.8	49.5	49.5	47.5	50.7
		Std. dev.		26.8	24.5	23.7	23.3	23.8
		Unw. valid N		19978.0	20019.0	20058.0	16546.0	18256.0
Math	PctProAdv	Mean		33.4	36.1	36.3	35.4	35.9
		Std. dev.		20.4	21.4	21.6	21.3	21.6
		Unw. valid N		19529.0	19401.0	19333.0	18055.0	17922.0
	EconDis	Mean		49.8	49.5	49.4	47.5	50.7
		Std. dev.		26.8	24.5	23.7	23.3	23.8
		Unw. valid N		19984.0	20009.0	20055.0	16549.0	18253.0

 

PSSA and Poverty: Grades Four and Five

 

 

Grades 6, 7, 8