Pennsylvania’s new list of struggling schools looks beyond usual suspects
Pennsylvania has a new list of struggling schools that includes those underserving students in subgroups such as English language learner and special education.
Listen 1:22Updated: 3:45 p.m.
Pennsylvania released a list of 289 struggling schools Thursday that will have to develop “improvement plans” with the direction of state advisors. The schools will share some portion of $40 million. State officials declined to say how they will divide the money.
Unlike in previous years, the state focused less on schools with low overall test scores, and included schools where certain subgroups of students failed to meet academic benchmarks.
Those subgroups include economically disadvantaged students, English language learners, special education students, and “federally established race and ethnic populations,” according to the state.
The new designations change the calculus for how the state defines struggling schools, drawing scrutiny to some schools that would have previously flown under the radar.
Each identified school will work with a team of state officials to create improvement plans, though there’s no plan to radically intervene at schools that fail to improve.
In previous iterations of this federally mandated program, schools that didn’t improve faced options that could include firing staff, closing schools, or converting traditional public schools into charters.
But when the Congress replaced the No Child Left Behind Act with a new law called the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), it gave states more flexibility.
Pennsylvania’s new approach doesn’t mention the same sort of major changes, even for schools that stagnate or backslide.
“The Wolf administration recognizes that students are more than test scores and that many factors contribute to student success,” said Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera in a statement. “The schools designated today will receive a variety of supports tailored to their unique needs. Ultimately, this extra support will create a more successful learning environment for students.”
Under the new designations, schools can receive one of two labels: Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) or Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (A-TSI).
Most of the schools that qualify for these labels receive Title I money, a federal program that sends dollars to schools with lots of low-income students.
CSI schools are Title I schools that scored among the bottom five percent in the state according to a formula that looks at test scores, attendance figures, and other data. Non-Title-I schools can qualify if they graduate less than two-thirds of their students.
All CSI schools will receive a so-far-undisclosed amount of extra federal money for at least two school years, although it’s unclear whether that support will extend beyond the first two years.
Schools in the second category, A-TSI, are Title I recipients that scored among the bottom five percent in at least one student subgroup. If any school has graduation rates below 67 percent in a certain sub-group they can also get an A-TSI label.
In a plan submitted to the federal government, state officials said they would “continue to evaluate” whether A-TSI schools will get extra money.
Schools named Tuesday will remain under state watch until 2021.
In the past, Pennsylvania labeled schools as focus or priority schools, using a formula weighted more heavily toward standardized test scores.
Now, some schools that wouldn’t have met the focus or priority thresholds will earn an A-TSI designation. That may sound like a semantic distinction, but it will actually change the pool of schools receiving extra support.
Take Philadelphia as an example.
Under the old system, 42 percent of all focus and priority schools were located in the state’s largest public school district.
Now, only 21 percent of CSI and A-TSI schools are run by the School District of Philadelphia.
Superintendent William Hite praised the state’s new method of designating schools, and welcomed the shift away from “draconian” interventions at low-performing schools.
“We didn’t find that was, over the long haul, very beneficial,” said Hite.
Under Hite’s leadership Philadelphia converted more than a dozen traditional public schools into charters, although it hasn’t converted any new schools since 2015. The district still has its own process for identifying underperforming schools, and it requires those schools to create improvement plans that can include removing teachers.
CSI Schools
LEA Name | School Name |
Achievement House CS | Achievement House CS |
ACT Academy Cyber CS | ACT Academy Cyber CS |
Agora Cyber CS | Agora Cyber CS |
Allentown City SD | Francis D Raub MS |
Allentown City SD | Harrison-Morton MS |
Allentown City SD | South Mountain MS |
Allentown City SD | Trexler MS |
ASPIRA Bilingual Cyber CS | ASPIRA Bilingual Cyber CS |
Bethlehem Area SD | Broughal MS |
Center for Student Learning CS at Pennsbury | Center for Student Learning CS at Pennsbury |
Central Pennsylvania Digital Learning Foundation CS | Central Pennsylvania Digital Learning Foundation CS |
Chester-Upland SD | Chester HS |
Chester-Upland SD | STEM at Showalter |
Chester-Upland SD | Toby Farms Intermediate School |
Commonwealth Charter Academy CS | Commonwealth Charter Academy CS |
Crispus Attucks CS | Crispus Attucks CS |
Esperanza Cyber CS | Esperanza Cyber CS |
Harrisburg City SD | Downey School |
Harrisburg City SD | Harrisburg HS |
Harrisburg City SD | Rowland Academy |
Hazleton Area SD | Freeland El/MS |
Hill House Passport Academy CS | Hill House Passport Academy CS |
I-LEAD CS | I-LEAD CS |
Keystone Education Center CS | Keystone Education Center CS |
Khepera CS | Khepera CS |
La Academia Partnership CS | La Academia Partnership CS |
Lancaster SD | Hand MS |
Lancaster SD | Lincoln MS |
Lancaster SD | Reynolds MS |
Lancaster SD | Wheatland MS |
McKeesport Area SD | Founders Hall MS |
New Day CS | New Day CS |
Norristown Area SD | Stewart MS |
Olney Charter HS | Olney Charter HS |
Pennsylvania Cyber CS | Pennsylvania Cyber CS |
Pennsylvania Distance Learning CS | Pennsylvania Distance Learning CS |
Perseus House CS of Excellence | Perseus House CS of Excellence |
Philadelphia City SD | Amy at Martin |
Philadelphia City SD | Bache-Martin School |
Philadelphia City SD | Bartram John – Main |
Philadelphia City SD | Building 21 |
Philadelphia City SD | Catharine Joseph School |
Philadelphia City SD | Clemente Roberto MS |
Philadelphia City SD | Comegys Benjamin B School |
Philadelphia City SD | Day Anna B School |
Philadelphia City SD | Dobbins AVT HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Edison HS/Fareira Skills |
Philadelphia City SD | Fels Samuel HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Forrest Edwin School |
Philadelphia City SD | Frankford HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Franklin Benjamin HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Furness Horace HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Harrington Avery D School |
Philadelphia City SD | Heston Edward School |
Philadelphia City SD | Kensington Creative & Performing Arts HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Kensington Health Sciences |
Philadelphia City SD | Kensington HS |
Philadelphia City SD | King Martin Luther HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Lincoln HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Mastbaum Jules E AVTS |
Philadelphia City SD | McKinley William School |
Philadelphia City SD | Meehan Austin MS |
Philadelphia City SD | Overbrook HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Parkway Northwest |
Philadelphia City SD | Randolph A Philip AVT HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Rhodes E Washington School |
Philadelphia City SD | Roxborough HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Sayre William L MS |
Philadelphia City SD | School of the Future |
Philadelphia City SD | South Philadelphia HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Steel Edward School |
Philadelphia City SD | Strawberry Mansion HS |
Philadelphia City SD | The Linc |
Philadelphia City SD | The SD of Philadelphia Virtual Academy |
Philadelphia City SD | The U School: Innovative Lab |
Philadelphia City SD | The Workshop School |
Philadelphia City SD | Wagner Gen Louis MS |
Philadelphia City SD | Washington George HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Washington Grover Jr School |
Philadelphia City SD | West Philadelphia HS |
Pittsburgh SD | Academy at Westinghouse |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh Allegheny 6-8 |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh Classical 6-8 |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh King K-8 |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh Langley K-8 |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh Milliones 6-12 |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh Morrow K-8 |
Propel CS-Homestead | Propel CS-Homestead |
Reach Cyber CS | Reach Cyber CS |
Reading SD | Reading Intermediate HS |
Reading SD | Southern MS |
Steelton-Highspire SD | Steelton-Highspire HS |
Sto-Rox SD | Sto Rox ES |
Susq-Cyber CS | Susq-Cyber CS |
The New Academy CS | The New Academy CS |
William Penn SD | Penn Wood MS |
Youth Build Phila CS | Youth Build Phila CS |
ATSI Schools
LEA Name | School |
21st Century Cyber CS | 21st Century Cyber CS |
Albert Gallatin Area SD | Albert Gallatin Area SHS |
Aliquippa SD | Aliquippa JSHS |
Allentown City SD | Louis E Dierfuff HS |
Allentown City SD | William Allen HS |
Altoona Area SD | Altoona Area HS |
Altoona Area SD | Altoona Area Jr HS |
Ambridge Area SD | Ambridge Area HS |
Antietam SD | Antietam MS/HS |
Armstrong SD | West Shamokin JSHS |
Athens Area SD | Athens Area HS |
Bensalem Township SD | Bensalem Twp HS |
Bensalem Township SD | Robert K Shafer MS |
Bethlehem Area SD | Freedom HS |
Bethlehem Area SD | Liberty HS |
Bethlehem-Center SD | Bethlehem-Center MS |
Big Beaver Falls Area SD | Beaver Fall MS |
Bristol Township SD | Truman SHS |
Brownsville Area SD | Brownsville Area MS |
Cameron County SD | Cameron County JSHS |
Canon-McMillan SD | Canon-McMillan SHS |
Carlynton SD | Carlynton JSHS |
Centennial SD | William Tennent HS |
Central York SD | Central York HS |
Chambersburg Area SD | Chambersburg Area SHS |
Charter HS for Architecture and Design | Charter HS for Architecture and Design |
Chartiers-Houston SD | Chartiers-Houston JSHS |
Cheltenham SD | Cheltenham HS |
Chichester SD | Chichester SHS |
Clairton City SD | Clairton ES |
Clairton City SD | Clairton MS/HS |
Coatesville Area SD | Coatesville Area SHS |
Coatesville Area SD | North Brandywine MS |
Coatesville Area SD | Rainbow ES |
Coatesville Area SD | Reeceville ES |
Coatesville Area SD | South Brandywine MS |
Collegium CS | Collegium CS |
Conneaut SD | Conneaut Area SHS |
Connellsville Area SD | Connellsville Area MS |
Connellsville Area SD | Connellsville Area SHS |
Conrad Weiser Area SD | Conrad Weiser HS |
Corry Area | Corry Area HS |
Crawford Central SD | Meadville Area MS |
Crawford Central SD | Meadville Area SHS |
Dallas SD | Dallas MS |
Dallas SD | Dallas SHS |
Daniel Boone Area SD | Daniel Boone Area HS |
Dover Area SD | Dover Area HS |
Dubois Area SD | Dubois Area SHS |
Dunmore SD | Dunmore JSHS |
East Allegheny SD | East Allegheny JSHS |
East Stroudsburg Area SD | East Stroudsburg SHS North |
East Stroudsburg Area SD | East Stroudsburg SHS South |
Easton Area SD | Easton Area MS |
Elizabeth Forward SD | Elizabeth Forward SHS |
Farrell Area SD | Farrell Area HS/UMS |
Freedom Area SD | Freedom Area MS |
Governor Mifflin SD | Governor Mifflin SHS |
Greater Johnstown SD | Greater Johnstown MS |
Greater Nanticoke Area SD | Greater Nanticoke Area SHS |
Greensburg Salem SD | Greensburg-Salem HS |
Greenville Area SD | Greenville JSHS |
Hanover Area SD | Hanover Area JSHS |
Harrisburg City SD | Foose Elementary |
Harrisburg City SD | Scott School |
Hazleton Area SD | Hazleton Area HS |
Hazleton Area SD | McAdoo-Kelayres El/MS |
Hermitage SD | Hickory HS |
Highlands SD | Highlands SHS |
Imhotep Institute CHS | Imhotep Institute CHS |
Interboro SD | Interboro SHS |
Keystone Central SD | Central Mountain HS |
KIPP DuBois Charter School | KIPP DuBois Charter School |
KIPP Philadelphia Charter School | KIPP Philadelphia Charter School |
Kiski Area SD | KISKI Area HS |
Lakeland SD | Lakeland JSHS |
Lancaster SD | McCaskey Campus |
Lancaster SD | Phoenix Academy |
Laurel Highlands | Laurel Highland SHS |
Lebanon SD | Lebanon SHS |
Lehighton Area SD | Leighton Area HS |
Manheim Central SD | Manheim Central SHS |
Marion Center Area SD | Marion Center Area Jr/Sr HS |
McKeesport Area SD | McKeesport Area SHS |
Mechanicsburg Area SD | Mechanicsburg Area SHS |
Mid Valley SD | Mid Valley Secondary Center |
Midd-West SD | Midd-West HS |
Minersville Area SD | Minersville Area El Ctr |
Monessen City SD | Monessen El Ctr |
Muhlenberg SD | Muhlenberg MS |
New Castle Area SD | New Castle JHS |
New Kensington-Arnold SD | Valley JSHS |
Norristown Area SD | Norristown Area HS |
Norristown Area SD | Roosevelt Alternative School |
Northern Lebanon SD | Northern Lebanon SHS |
Northern Tioga SD | Williamson SHS |
Northgate SD | Northgate MSHS |
Northhampton Area SD | Northhampton Area HS |
Octorara Area SD | Octorara Area JSHS |
Oxford Area SD | Oxford Area HS |
Oxford Area SD | Penn’s Grove School |
Panther Valley SD | Panther Valley ES |
Panther Valley SD | Panther Valley JSHS |
Pen Argyl Area SD | Pen Argyl Area HS |
Penn Hills SD | Penn Hills SHS |
Penn-Delco SD | Sun Valley HS |
Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School | Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School |
Philadelphia City SD | Anderson Add B Sch |
Philadelphia City SD | Emlen Eleanor C Sch |
Philadelphia City SD | Franklin S Edmonds Sch |
Philadelphia City SD | Harding Warren G MS |
Philadelphia City SD | Juniata Park Academy |
Philadelphia City SD | Mayfair School |
Philadelphia City SD | Motivation HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Northeast HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Penn Treaty School |
Philadelphia City SD | Penrose School |
Philadelphia City SD | Richmond School |
Philadelphia City SD | Roosevelt Theodore MS |
Philadelphia City SD | Saul W B Agricultural School |
Philadelphia City SD | Spring Garden School |
Philadelphia City SD | Sullivan James J School |
Philadelphia City SD | Swenson Arts & Technology HS |
Philadelphia City SD | Ziegler William H School |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh Allderdice HS |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh Brashear HS |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh Faison K-5 |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh Obama 6-12 |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh Perry HS |
Pittsburgh SD | Pittsburgh Roosevelt K-5 |
Pittson Area SD | Pittston Area SHS |
Pocono Mountain SD | Pocono Mountain East HS |
Pocono Mountain SD | Pocono Mountain West JHS |
Pocono Mountain SD | Pocono MountainWest HS |
Pocono Mountain SD | Swiftwater El Ctr |
Portage Area SD | Portage Area JSHS |
Pottsgrove SD | Pottsgrove SHS |
Pottstown SD | Pottstown MS |
Pottsville Area SD | Lengel MS |
Propel CS – Braddock Hills | Propel CS – Braddock Hills |
Reading SD | Reading SHS |
Red Lion Area SD | Red Lion Area SHS |
Ringgold SD | Ringgold SHS |
Scranton SD | Isaac Tripp ES |
Scranton SD | Scranton HS |
Scranton SD | West Scranton HS |
Scranton SD | West Scranton Intermediate School |
Shamokin Area SD | Shamokin Area Intermediate School |
Sharon City SD | Sharon MS |
Shenandoah Valley SD | Shenandoah Valley JSHS |
Shikellamy SD | Shikellamy HS |
Shippensburg Area SD | James Burd ES |
Solanco SD | Solanco HS |
South Allegheny SD | South Allegheny MS/HS |
Southeast Delco SD | Academy Park HS |
Southern Huntingdon County SD | Southern Huntingdon Co HS/MS |
Steel Valley SD | Steel Valley MS |
Steel Valley SD | Steel Valley SHS |
Sto-Rox SD | Sto-Rox JSHS |
Stroudsburg Area SD | Stroudsburg JHS |
Sugar Valley Rural CS | Sugar Valley Rural CS |
Tamaqua Area SD | Tamaqua Area SHS |
Tulpehocken Area SD | Tulpehocken JSHS |
Tunkhannock Area SD | Tunkhannock HS |
Turkeyfoot Valley Area SD | Turkeyfoot Valley Area JSHS |
Uniontown Area SD | Lafayette MS |
Uniontown Area SD | Uniontown Area SHS |
Universal Audenried Charter School | Universal Audenried Charter School |
Upper Darby SD | Beverly Hills MS |
Upper Darby SD | Charles Kelly El Sch |
Urban Pathways 6-12 CS | Urban Pathways 6-12 CS |
Wallenpaupack Area SD | Wallenpaupack Area HS |
Washington SD | Washington HS |
Washington SD | Washington Junior High School |
Waynesboro Area SD | Waynesboro Area SHS |
West Branch Area SD | West Branch Area JSHS |
West Mifflin Area SD | West Mifflin Area HS |
West Mifflin Area SD | West Mifflin Area MS |
West Perry SD | West Perry SHS |
West Phila. Achievement CES | West Phila. Achievement CES |
West Side CTC | West Side CTC |
Whitehall-Coplay SD | Whitehall HS |
Wilkes-Barre Area SD | Dodson ES |
Wilkes-Barre Area SD | Elmer L Meyers JSHS |
Wilkes-Barre Area SD | James M Coughlin JSHS |
Wilkes-Barre Area SD | Solomon/Plains JHS |
William Penn SD | Penn Wood HS |
Woodland Hills SD | Wilkins ES |
Woodland Hills SD | Woodland Hills JSHS |
Wyoming Area SD | Wyoming Area Sec Ctr |
Wyoming Valley West SD | Wyoming Valley West SHS |
York City SD | William Penn SHS |
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