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Table of Contents

PSSA SCIENCE

Results and Findings
● Pine-Richland students outperformed the state average of students scoring proficient and
advanced on the PSSA Science assessment in both the 4th and 8th Grade.
o When comparing the percent of students scoring in the combined proficient and
advanced category in 2019, Pine-Richland 4th Grade students (94.6%) were less
than 1% away from being within the top decile (95.2%).
o 83.7% of the 8th grade students scored proficient/advanced, outperforming the top
decile benchmark (77.5%).
o In both 4th and 8th grade the relative areas of opportunity have some consistency
in that they occur within the Physical (e.g. energy) or Earth and Space sciences,
with select areas in different reporting categories by grade level.
o In grade 8, the percent of students scoring at the advanced/proficient level
increased 11% from 2018 to 2019, reflecting the highest level attained in the past
5 years.
o Scores of IEP students improved. In 2018, 35% of these students performed at the below
basic level. In 2019, only 29% of them scored in the below basic category. Finally, 7%
of these students scored in the advanced range in 2018, and the number increased to 17%
in 2019.
o For the fourth year in a row, females out-performed male students. 88% of the females
scored in the advanced or proficient category, while 80% of the males scored advanced or
proficient.
o

● The analysis of student performance by PA Science Assessment Anchors helps us
understand areas of relative strength and need with a higher level of meaning. While
there are several relative strengths, the opportunities for improvement include:

o Grade 4
▪ S4.C.2 Forms, Sources, Conversion, and Transfer of Energy
● Identify energy forms, energy transfer, and energy examples.
● Describe the flow of energy through an object or system.
● Recognize or illustrate simple direct current series and parallel
circuits composed of batteries, light bulbs, wire, and on/off
switches.
● Identify characteristics of sound

▪ S4.C.3 Principle of Force and Motion
● Describe changes in motion caused by forces (e.g., magnetic,
pushes or pulls, gravity, friction).
● Compare the relative movement of objects or describe types of
motion that are evident (e.g., bouncing ball, moving in a straight
line, back and forth, merry-go-round).

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