JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley students scored well above the state average on last year’s PSSA exams, Sean McCarty, assistant superintendent for K-6 instruction, reported to the school board Monday.

Students in grades 3 through 8 take the math and English language arts exams every year, while students in grades 4 and 8 also take a science exam.

In English, the district had a proficiency level of 81.4 percent, better than the statewide mark of 60.4 percent. In math it had 60.8 proficiency and in science it had 85.9 percent, also above the state averages.

The district has not gotten results to the Keystone Exams.

District administrators and teachers use the data, which is broken down by grade and building, to plan, McCarty said.

“That helps us provide instructional decisions as well as we utilize it in our curriculum. We look for trends and we look for areas that we can strengthen,” he said.

Last year was the second year for testing results since the state changed its educational standards. The district showed an improvement in some areas, but also decreases in some areas, he said.

Superintendent Tracy Vitale added that guidance counselors in all grades also look at the scores and use them to guide students. The district also sees a correlation between attendance and test scores, she said.