Scores prompt district changes

Jan. 11, 2010


By PATRICK E. LITOWITZ
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com

Curriculum course corrections are in place to help New Castle students fare better overall and on college admission tests.

Among Lawrence County’s eight school systems, the district has consistently placed last in SAT scoring. The Pennsylvania Department of Education first tracked SAT performance in 2001.

The SAT covers math, English and writing. Each section is worth a maximum of 800 points. The state’s last report, released in 2009, showed New Castle averaged 1,324. In comparison, the Ellwood City Area School District scored an average 1,494 — the county’s top showing.
Results can create inaccurate impressions, such the perception that schools with better scores have better students.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Dave Schordock, executive director of the Princeton Review, Pittsburgh/Cleveland. The Princeton Review offers test preparation services.

The SAT is one exam universities and colleges use as part of the admissions process. Another is the ACT. The results play a role in determining where students are accepted and what financial awards they will receive.

“I put a lot of stake in the SAT exams,” said Terence P. Meehan, who oversees curriculum and instruction as administrative assistant to Superintendent George Gabriel.

“I think you can judge a lot from that score, and I saw a very serious red flag (from previous results).”

Since Meehan’s arrival three years ago, the school district revamped its math and English programs. Math received attention first.

“The overall consensus was, it wasn’t working,” Meehan said. “To hear that echoed by the teachers, it was time to move on.”

Integrated math was the primary culprit.

“It’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and to me, a whole lot of nothing,” Meehan said of the integrated math concept. “There wasn’t any depth there.”

Students are offered a full year of geometry and two years of algebra. Electives are offered in statistics, calculus and trigonometry.

An additional layer of English instruction bolstered that program. The district introduced an accelerated level to its regular and honors designations.

“The kid that was in the middle — a B, C student — felt like they were wasting their time (in regular English),” Meehan said. “(Then), they were going into an honors program. Hence it was watering it down.”

The district offers optional English classes, such as public speaking, expository composition and research.

“The sophomores are going to see the most benefit since they’ve been around, but you’re also going to see improvement with our juniors.”

An SAT course was launched in the fall to assist college-bound sophomores in honors and accelerated classes. The SAT is normally taken in a student’s junior year. Working with the Princeton Review, the district established a class during school hours. There is no cost to the student to attend.

Traditionally, the Princeton Review offers after-school and weekend sessions with prices ranging from $500 to $1,200 per student. Business manager Joseph Ambrosini said the district paid approximately $20,000 for the course, with the funding coming through the federal government.

In the summer, the company trained two senior high teachers.

“It’s very progressive,” Schordock said of New Castle’s effort. “It’s their teachers teaching the program.

“They have the pulse of the students. I can’t think of a better way to deliver this type of education.”

Schordock said the nearest school district to employ this approach is in Fort Wayne, Ind.

“We have students in New Castle who are talented, but we weren’t providing them any room for growth,” Meehan said. “Now, we are.”