'Trickle-up effect': Administrators weigh in on improvements

As national test score reports generate concerns over student learning, an opposite pattern is unfolding at New Kensington-­Arnold School District, according to Superintendent Chris Sefcheck.

After hitting an all-time low in 2020, the district’s math and science scores on state tests are gradually increasing, Sefcheck said. In just two years, the district has cut in half the number of kindergarten and first grade students who aren’t proficient in reading.

The district’s Roy A. Hunt Elementary, which serves third through sixth grade students, was removed this year from the state Department of Education’s improvement list for the first time in at least a decade.

“That’s kind of a trickle-up effect,” Sefcheck said. “There are things you work on right away at the higher grades because that’s the end goal — to be able to graduate college and (be) career ready. Before you talk about stuff like that, kids have to be able to read and do math.”

He credits the progress to eliminating pacing guides for educators — in favor of teaching a topic until students understand it — and updating curriculum. Whereas in the past students might learn a subject using two different educational resources, the district has focused on making learning materials consistent to help students when they move on to the next grade level.

New Kensington-Arnold falls short of the state’s testing standard for school districts — 65% of students per grade level scoring proficient or above on the PSSA and Keystone Exam. About 50% of the district’s 10th graders — the class with the latest data available — achieved that mark last year, Sefcheck said.

But Sefcheck is confident the improvement will continue.

“I can say definitively right now, I know that our growth trends have gotten better each year,” he said. “Our kids are doing better than expected, and it’s raising the bar. Compared to the national standards, our growth is there.”

At Leechburg Area High School, abstract math concepts have proven a challenge to students in recent years, said Principal Tyler Vargo. So the district has put a greater emphasis on early Algebra skills — including fractions and converting units, which build the foundation for more advanced math courses.

To work toward that goal, the district’s sixth grade students now take two periods of math — allowing students more time to work through challenging topics, Vargo said. Students also have a 30-minute period after the end of the school day to receive help on subjects in which they need extra support.

“For me, there’s always a sense of urgency that we want to make sure they’re prepared. What sometimes makes it difficult is that the areas of challenge for the current groups of juniors and seniors or sophomores can change from year to year,” he said. “We have to be agile to try to address those needs.”