KARNS CITY — More rigorous state standardized tests are forcing the Karns City School District to evaluate its curriculum and make changes in the wake of a large drop-off in student scores.

The falling scores are part of a statewide drop off in student performance on standardized tests, district administrators said. They pegged the new Pennsylvania Core standards, which made the Keystone and PSSA tests more rigorous, as the reason for the drop off in “advanced” and “proficient” scores.

Brenda Knoll, assistant high school principal, told board members Monday night that the drop off at Karns City was significant, but in line with what school districts across the state are seeing.

As an example, Knoll pointed to 2013-14 math and reading scores for Karns City seventh-graders — nearly 75 percent of the class scored proficient or advanced in math and reading that year. But for the 2014-15 school year, the most recent testing period, only about 20 percent of students met those benchmarks in math and about 55 percent in reading.

Superintendent Eric Ritzert said the scores were comparable to other similar districts across the state.

Statewide, 60 percent fewer students scored advanced or proficient on the tests this year versus last year, administrators said.

Because of the drop off, Knoll and other building administrators say the district has revamped its math, science and English curriculums. The district also has given teachers direct access to a digital warehouse with data on student performance, and made time during the school day for remedial work with students who fail the state tests.

“We’re trying to build a pipeline, K (through) 12, that is better-aligned overall,” Ritzert said. “It’s a work in progress. It’s going to take time.”

Knoll said the district will send letters to parents and students along with the new test scores, which haven’t been published yet, to explain the lower scores.

The test scores affect more than just in-class teaching strategies and out-of-class lesson planning. Student performance on the standardized tests was a major component of Pennsylvania’s School Performance Profile, which ultimately was tied to teacher evaluations.

Ritzert said that the state won’t publish the scores this year for buildings that don’t include 11th-grade students, leaving district administrators at a loss for how teacher evaluations will change going forward or what the ultimate long-term effect will be on building and teacher evaluations.