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McQueary wins $7.3 million in Penn State whistleblower claim

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Officials release identity of second suspect in fatal shooting on North Sherman Street

<p>The state&#8217;s School Performance Profile system &#8212; which replaced the &#8220;Adequate Yearly Progress&#8221; method of gauging schools &#8212; has been plagued with problems since its debut in 2013. So people who follow this stuff may not be surprised that on Thursday the state released SPP scores for a second time in one month.</p><p>The scores for 2014-15 were first released Oct. 13, but quickly suppressed when one district unearthed an error.</p><p>According to an announcement posted Thursday on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website, the state determined that an update was needed due to &#8220;an inaccurate data element provided by a contractor and used in the original calculation.&#8221;</p><p>Specifically, district- and school-level results for the Keystone Exams excluded students with Individualized Education Programs. Keystone Exams are given in three high school subjects. Students with IEPs are more commonly known as special education students.</p><p>The state determined that of 2,900 schools that received SPP scores, 625 changed from the scores posted Oct. 13. On Thursday the state released &#8212; or in the case of schools where the numbers didn&#8217;t change, re-released &#8212; SPP scores.</p><p>Unlike AYP, which had specific test result goals each school was supposed to meet annually, there is no mandated-minimum SPP score. An SPP of 70 has generally been used as a benchmark, but that was a suggestion by then-acting Education Secretary Carolyn C. Dumaresq when the first SPP results were released.</p><p>Even then, about 600 schools had provided incomplete data, making the scores suspect. The state also delayed releasing SPP scores for each district until a Pittsburgh newspaper forced the issue by filing a right-to-know request.</p><p>SPP also struggled when the state switched to new standardized tests in grades three through eight. The system relies heavily on test results, though it considers a wider range of tests as well as other data in gauging schools.</p><p>The new tests meant the scores could not be compared to prior years, and in 2015 the state opted not to release SPP scores for schools where only the new tests were used. Schools using the Keystone Exams &#8212; high schools with no grade below eighth &#8212; did get an SPP score</p><p>Locally, Crestwood High School had the highest SPP score on the new list, at 90.3, with Dallas High School second at 88.7. All told, 24 of 58 schools scored above the benchmark 70.</p><p>Hazleton Area&#8217;s Hazle Elementary/Middle School had the lowest local score at 43.7, with Wilkes-Barre Area&#8217;s GAR Memorial second lowest at 47.5</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Psst! Want a different SPP? State revamps school performance scores