HARRISBURG — Clear-field Elementary School, Emily Brittain Elementary School and Moniteau Junior-Senior High School in Butler County were among 561 academically challenged schools in the state that did not receive adequate assistance from the state Department of Education, according to a state performance audit released last week.

State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said those schools were not provided additional assistance to improve academic performance, including specialized staffing called academic recovery liaisons who work with school administrations.

The audit was conducted for the 2013-14 school year.

Although Clearfield Elementary was included on the list of schools that did not get needed support from the state, the school has since been closed by the school board as part of a cost-saving consolidation plan.

“The Pennsylvania Department of Education is failing our students and the taxpayers by essentially overlooking 561 academically challenged schools,” DePasquale said in a news release. “It is astonishing to me that so many schools — with more than 310,000 students — may not be receiving the extra support they need to help their students succeed academically. If PDE continues to overlook these institutions and the students they serve, more and more children will struggle scholastically further down the road.”

DePasquale said the only schools that received additional academic assistance of the 814 academically challenged were schools classified by the federal government as Title I, which are schools that have a high percentage of students from low-income families.

While other Butler School District schools fall under Title I, Superintendent Dale Lumley said Clearfield and Emily Brittain elementary schools did not.

“I don’t think we received any additional funding for any additional school based on performance,” he said.

Allegheny-Clarion Valley Elementary, Allegheny-Clarion High School and Union High School in Clarion County also were among those 561 schools.

Dave McDeavitt, A-C Valley superintendent, said the district has been working hard to boost performance numbers, although that hasn’t been done with the state’s help. Providing more staff support and specialized programming has been implemented to raise their School Performance Profile scores.

“There’s nothing they’ve done to help or support us,” he said of the state. “Hopefully in the future we’ll get more support from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.”

Moniteau School District has made efforts to improve using its own resources, said George Svolos, superintendent.

“There has not been a funding stream or support given to us outside of usual funding,” Svolos said. “They should work with us to identify our areas that need strengthened and help us to support the initiatives we need to make our kids successful.”

Efforts to improve test scores have included offering more advanced placement classes, starting an at-risk program for students who are not on track for accumulating the number of credits required to graduate and making PSAT testing a requirement for high school sophomores.

DePasquale outlined 30 recommendations to the Department of Education in his 89-page audit with improvements to address four findings

n PDE failed to provide additional assistance to poor-performing schools

n The state board of education failed to update the master plan for basic education since 1999

n PDE failed to monitor special advisers and assistants

n PDE relied on retired employees to fill critical positions and violated the state employees’ retirement code.

The full report can be reviewed at paauditor.gov.