Centennial School District — Transcript
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Education Committee Meeting Schedule
State Assessment and Data Review (24-25 School Year)
Program of Studies for the 26-27 School Year
Votes (2)
State Assessment and Data Review (24-25 School Year)
Mr. Rutz presented the annual review of state assessment data, contrasting student achievement (snapshot) with growth (improvement). Key findings included the district's math achievement being above the state average, although Algebra 1 showed a slight dip. ELA and Keystone Literature scores improved, also remaining above state averages. PSSA Science testing changes (grades 4 and 8 shifted to 5 and 8) meant no reportable data for last year's 5th grade science field test. Biology Keystone scores saw a slight increase but remained just below the state average, attributed partly to past pandemic impacts on hands-on science. Subgroup data showed strong growth, particularly for EL learners (100% meeting/exceeding growth measures) and students with IEPs. The discussion also covered the influence of curricular consistency (Eureka Math vs. Wit & Wisdom) and future systemic efforts to align science curriculum (STEEL standards) and address areas like high school science and K-12 math through external reports.
Program of Studies for the 26-27 School Year
Alfa introduced four new courses for the 26-27 school year, developed in collaboration with Mr. Wright. AP Human Geography aims to provide a challenging AP option for ninth-grade and gifted students. Cosmic Journeys, designed to utilize the revitalized planetarium, generated high student interest. Educators Rising, supported by Dr. Carrick and grant-funded, seeks to address the national teacher shortage by building a local pipeline, offering micro-credentials and potential college credits. Leveraging Technology for Business Applications addresses new state financial literacy requirements and offers Act 158 completion. Staffing concerns were discussed, with the plan for adjustments through natural attrition based on student course selections. A committee member raised the importance of expanding civics curriculum, which the district is exploring through a social studies task force, acknowledging the challenge of balancing new mandates (like financial literacy) with existing curriculum requirements.
Notable Quotes (13)
achievement... is simply a snapshot in time... growth is often considered a a fair component because it compares you only to yourself and prior performance.
Our achievement is above the state average. We're at 44.7%. We're now above the state average of 41.7% for students in grades 3 through 8 in the PSSA Cal.
data only tells us what happened not why it happened.
one of the one of the main reasons or main factors is because we've had a tier one core curriculum longer with Eureka Math than we've had with Wisdom.
I'm locked in on I see the word proficient and 40 something percent. I'm thinking only 40% of our kids are proficient... I think people might still be locked into thinking we're only at 40% proficiency and they're not really getting that.
our focus really was on tier three and focusing on moving that uh student group of tier three students up to tier two, which had a very positive effect on our Keystone and PSSA scores.
we think this is the course and it's the right time to start offering an AP course for that ninth graders would be eligible for... What's really exciting about that is if our gifted students are coming out of the middle school can have that option now.
this will be the first time I think in more than 10 years that we've been able to do this... we anticipate probably two sections of this running, no more than probably 25 students in each of those sections.
teachers are more likely to go back and teach within 20 miles of where they grew up. And so that is is hopefully creating a pipeline for us to have teachers to be part of our um part of our ecosystem here in Centennial.
I believe there was almost a 76% decrease in the number of teachers from I think it was 2012 to 2021. And in 2022, the state of Pennsylvania emergencycertified more teachers than it actually certified.
the state's moving through a requirement to bring in um financial literacy as a requirement for all high school students to graduate with. That's going to create it a little bit of a shift for us because right now all ninth graders take academic seminar.
what id envisioned was um you know as important as that is and you're you know it is... I wanted our kids to come out of school to be able to listen to a politician lying to them and say, 'You're lying to me and I know you're lying to me because I learned it in school and I know that's not the way it works.'
the challenge is always balancing that with state standards, what the state requires because as Mr. uh excuse Mr. Dr. Carrick just mentioned, they mandated personal finance, which I'm all for, but we have to find a spot for that.
Ordinances & Resolutions (12)
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, state-mandated tests for grades 3-8 in Math, ELA, and Science.
State-mandated end-of-course exams for subjects like Algebra 1, Literature, and Biology.
A measure of student improvement in academic performance compared to prior performance.
Local assessment tool for data review, mentioned for midyear assessments.
Tier one core curriculum for ELA in elementary and middle schools.
Tier one core curriculum for math, noted for longer consistency.
Curriculum being implemented for K8 science alignment.
State graduation requirements that can be met through credentials earned in the new 'Leveraging Technology for Business Applications' course.
National curriculum aimed at fostering interest in the teaching profession among high school students.
Document outlining courses offered to students for the upcoming school year.
External report being conducted to guide improvements in the K-12 math program.
Internal group investigating potential changes and additions to the social studies curriculum, including civics.