A detailed analysis of 2023–24 standardized testing results in Lehighton Area School District showed significant strides in some areas and room for improvement in others, according to a recent presentation by administrators.

During a Nov. 25 presentation to the school board, Assistant to the Superintendent Mary Figura delved into results from the Keystone Exams and PSSA assessments, comparing performance to state averages and discussing future goals.

Elementary ELA and Math

With nearly 60% of third-grade students scoring proficient or above, Lehighton outperformed the state average of 55.8%. Notably, students with individualized education programs also showed progress, with 32.1% reaching proficiency.

Figura attributed the gains to a robust tier 1, 2, and 3 University of Florida Literacy Institute intervention system and new instructional strategies. The UFLI program is designed to help students develop foundational reading skills.

Math scores for the same grade, however, underscored challenges, with only 40.8% achieving proficiency or above, compared to the state average of 51.4%.

In ELA, fourth-grade students demonstrated improvement, with 48.3% scoring proficient or advanced, up from 42.6% in 2023. Fifth-grade ELA scores also edged higher, with 53.5% reaching proficiency or above compared to the previous year’s 52.7%. However, challenges remained in math, where fourth-grade proficiency saw a slight increase to 40%, and fifth-grade scores dipped marginally to 40.4%, both below state averages.

Figura noted curricular gaps that the district is addressing with its iReady program, now in its second year of implementation.

“Next year, we anticipate much higher scores as teachers and students become even more familiar with these tools,” she said.

Middle School Growth and Systemic Questions

Sixth-grade ELA saw gains, with 54.1% of students scoring proficient or above, exceeding the state average of 53%. Meanwhile, math showed even more notable growth, rising from 30.7% proficient in 2023 to 41.5% in 2024.

Seventh and eighth grades presented a mixed picture. In eighth-grade math, proficiency stagnated at 20.9%, below the state average of 28.5%. Despite significant growth data indicating improvement, Figura raised systemic concerns about why top-performing students were not reaching expected achievement levels.

“If our top students are struggling to pass eighth-grade algebra or excel in standardized tests, we need to ask why,” she said. “Because there’s 177 kids in eighth grade and 20% of them are proficient or advanced, which is very, very low statistically. So that’s definitely a systemic question that we need to just talk about. But again, the growth, when you look at it, is very high. So we’re making progress, we just need to figure out where those gaps are.”

Middle school science scores showed mixed results, with eighth-grade proficiency at 51.1%, slightly below the state average of 54.5%.

“Our new science program addresses all the standards,” Figura said. “We have really high expectations of the program, and it’s moving forward very well.”

High School Keystone Results

At the high school level, Keystone Exam results highlighted biology as a standout success. Nearly 69% of 11th-grade students scored proficient or advanced, a substantial leap from 51.6% the previous year and well above the state average of 50.5%.

Algebra I also saw improvement, with proficiency rising to 51.4% from 35.3% in 2023. The district attributed the gains to focused professional development and new resources for teachers. Literature, however, saw a decline from 85.2% to 61.3%, falling just shy of the state average of 63.2%.

Focus Areas and Looking Ahead

Throughout the Nov. 25 presentation, administrators identified specific areas requiring attention. These included writing proficiency, with concerns over text-dependent analysis and foundational writing skills, as well as science, where, according to Figura, time constraints had led to reduced instructional focus.

To address these issues, the district has revamped its schedules to allocate more time to science and social studies while continuing to refine its math and ELA curriculam. The introduction of a new STEM initiative for elementary grades is also under consideration.

“We’ve made significant improvements despite gaps in our curriculum,” Figura said. “Ongoing professional development and data analysis will remain priorities. Our next steps will involve deep dives into data during upcoming professional development days.”