Science scores are up for Beaver County area high schools

Local high school students are seeing more success on state standardized science tests since new assessments were introduced two years ago, a Times analysis shows.

Fifteen of the 21 high schools in The Times coverage area saw an increase in the percentage of students passing standardized science tests between 2010-11 and 2013-14. Since the state introduced the biology Keystone Exam in 2011-12, only Ambridge, Beaver, Central Valley, Hopewell and Rochester high schools and Beaver Area Academic charter school saw a decline in the percentage of students passing the tests during that time.

That bucks expectations and performance on math and reading tests.

Theres so much emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs that its helping prepare students for these science tests, said Melanie Kerber, superintendent at Blackhawk School District, where the high school has seen a 26 percent increase in students passing the exams since the introduction of a new test two years ago. Without question, our emphasis on STEM has helped a great deal.

A Times analysis found that a lower percentage of students are passing math and reading tests at all grade levels compared with five years ago. Thats not the case in science, where two-thirds of local schools have seen an increase in the percentage of students testing as proficient or advanced on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests, or PSSAs, and biology Keystone Exam between 2009-10 and 2013-14.

In science, a higher percentage of students pass the tests at the elementary level; however, more schools are seeing decreases than at the secondary level. Local high schools have seen marked increases in the percentage of students passing the tests, with Big Beaver Falls Area and Riverside high schools seeing double the number of students succeeding on the test.

Five years ago, just one Aliquippa student passed the exam. The percentage of students passing has tripled since then -- an exact number of students who tested proficient or advanced was not included in 2013-14 data -- but still concerns Superintendent David Wytiaz.

Our science scores arent where we want them, but math and reading, those are two things that were worried about, too, Wytiaz said. STEM education, in general, helps, but (our test scores) are still nowhere near where they need to be.

In Pennsylvania, science hasnt had the same type of artifact focus that math and reading have, said Tim Eller, spokesman for the state Department of Education. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, performance on standardized science tests wasnt figured into Adequate Yearly Progress, the states former performance benchmark program.

Two years ago, that changed.

The rest is here:
Science scores are up for Beaver County area high schools