Assessments

Our assessments are more than just tests. They are integral tools for gathering information about students’ progress, strengths and weaknesses in order to provide the best possible education. They also help in determining the grades children receive each semester on their progress reports. The following are part of PAVCS’ assessment program:

Placement assessments in math and reading to place students at the appropriate instructional level. Lesson assessments to determine mastery of objectives.
Unit assessments to assess mastery of the lessons in a unit (such as “Fractions” or “Ancient Egypt”). These are usually comprised of about 20 questions.
Semester evaluations to provide information on what has been accomplished.
Teacher conferences and informal reviews to check for understanding of objectives and to review progress on a regular basis.
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), the state’s primary No Child Left Behind compliance measure. The PSSA is a standardized test that measures a student’s proficiency in Reading, Writing and Mathematics, and it also assists schools in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their academic programs. Every Pennsylvania student is assessed in reading and math in grades 3-8, and 11, and in writing in grades 5 and 8.
Standardized exams to help the school evaluate student performance.
Literacy Screenings using Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are administered twice a year to students in Kindergarten through grade 2.

To learn more about enrollment in PAVCS and our placement assessments, contact us today.

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)

The Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School met or exceeded all No Child Left Behind academic performance targets related to the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.

The PSSA is Pennsylvania’s achievement test required by the Federal No Child Left Behind law, and must be taken by all students to measure academic standards and determine the level to which schools enable students to become proficient. The PSSA is scored on standards of Advanced, Proficient, Basic and Below Basic. NCLB standards require 54 percent of students scoring proficient or above in Reading and 45 percent scoring proficient or above in Math.

In the past three years, PAVCS has seen the percentage of its overall students scoring Advanced/Proficient on the PSSA rise from 49 percent to 60 percent in Math and from 60.7 percent to 66.7 percent in Reading.

PA Vurtual Charter School's PSSA score graph

For more detailed information on PAVCS’ PSSA performance search for PA Virtual at http://www.paayp.com