Instead of using standardized tests this year to measure itself against the state, the Moniteau School District will use them to find areas where students need improvement.

Moniteau Superintendent Tom Samosky said the state Department of Education has extended the period school districts could administer the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and the Keystone Exam this year, after waiving the requirement for the tests last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said student learning loss from educational challenges presented by the pandemic is a factor the state and the school district want to measure through these tests. “Part of it is to assess learning models and to see if our methods are working,” Samosky said. “My focus is to use it as a way to identify areas of need.”

Test scores came up at last week's meeting of the Moniteau School Board, when member Michael Baptiste expressed concern that many grade levels in the district had relatively high percentages of students who graded “basic” or “below basic” on both tests in 2019, particularly in math levels.

Baptiste said the problem begins in elementary grades, and students never catch up on education in the ensuing years. Moniteau Junior/Senior High School was also listed as a targeted support and intervention school by the Department of Education for 2019.

Furthermore, he said these low scores indicate the district is not preparing students well for their post-high school plans.

“Everybody's talking about kids going to college, and now they're talking about trade schools,” Baptiste said last week. “Our students are completely unprepared if they don't know math.”

In 2019, 30.3% percent of Moniteau's high school students scored below basic in algebra on the PSSA, and 12.2 percent scored below basic in algebra on the Keystone.

Baptiste said Moniteau elementary schools should use the same math textbook Slippery Rock Area School District uses because that district had a lower percentage of students scoring below basic on 2019 standardized tests, with only 5.5% scoring below basic in algebra on the Keystone.

“I think the best thing to do is ask the teachers what they want,” he said.

Michael Panza, school board president, said he also would be concerned if test scores continue to drop or stagnate, but argued that standardized test scores are not the only means of measuring a school's success.

“These tests are a snapshot of how students are performing on a given day,” Panza said. “I don't think that's a full picture of the education we're giving our kids.”

While Samosky, who became superintendent in November 2019, has not yet been with the district during standardized testing, he said teachers in all programs in Moniteau have attended professional development courses to adapt to new teaching methods necessary for virtual teaching.

At a March 22 meeting, he applauded the staff for continuing to work hard through the pandemic, and said he hopes to see the district continue bettering education.

“We desire all of our kids to show academic growth in achievement,” Samosky said. “We want to best prepare our faculty to be able to instruct at a high level and meet them at a readiness level.”