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Pennsylvania education department lists low-achieving schools
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The state Department of Education today released its list of the lowest-achieving 15 percent of schools, and of the 406 school buildings in the state, 43 are in Allegheny County.
Among them are elementary, middle and high schools in both the Sto-Rox and Clairton school districts, the education center for the K-6 Duquesne City School District, and 21 buildings in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Students in the schools qualify for funding from the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program created this summer to allow low-and- moderate-income students to attend either higher achieving public schools or private schools.
The list of the lowest-achieving 15 percent of schools was based on combined math and reading scores on the 2012 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams.
The 406 school buildings are in 71 districts across the state. The number of schools and districts is lower than the original list released in July, which held 414 public schools in 74 districts, with 53 from Allegheny County. That list was based on the 2011 PSSA results.
Other local districts with schools on the 2012 list of lowest-performers include McKeesport Area, Penn Hills, Steel Valley, Wilkinsburg and Woodland Hills.
The Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program was designed to offer families with an income of no greater than $75,000 plus $12,000 for each dependent member of the household scholarships of up to $8,500 for a regular education student and up to $15,000 for a special education student.
The department of education is required by law to notify school districts by Feb. 1 if they have schools that identified as low-achieving.
To view the list of low-achieving schools, visit the Department of Education's website at www.education.state.pa.us, and click on the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program icon
First Published February 1, 2013 5:01 pm
