Coudersport Area Junior/Senior High School

In 2015, Coudersport Area School District's graduation rate was 88.89%.[13]

• 2014 - 87.9%.[14]
• 2013 - 82.6% [15]
• 2012 - 91%.[16]
• 2011 - 84%.[17]
• 2010 - 83%, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4-year cohort graduation rate.[18]

According to traditional graduation rate calculations:

• 2010 - 89%[19]
• 2009 - 95%[20]
• 2008 - 95%
• 2007 - 95% [21]

Coudersport Area Junior Senior High School achieved 73.2 out of 100. Reflects on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. The Pennsylvania Department of Education reported that 60% of the school's students were on grade level in reading/literature. In Algebra 1, 59% of students showed on grade level skills at the end of the course. In Biology I, 67.35% demonstrated on grade level science understanding at the end of the course.[22] Statewide, 53 percent of schools with an eleventh grade achieved an academic score of 70 or better. Five percent of the 2,033 schools with 11th grade were scored at 90 and above; 20 percent were scored between 80 and 89; 28 percent between 70 and 79; 25 percent between 60 and 69 and 22 percent below 60. The Keystone Exam results showed: 73 percent of students statewide scored at grade-level in English, 64 percent in Algebra I and 59 percent in biology.[23][24]

The PDE reported that 40% of eighth (8th) grade students at Coudersport Area Junior Senior High School were on grade level in reading on the PSSAs given in April 2015. In math/Algebra 1, 8% of 8th grade students demonstrated on grade level skills. In science, 56% of the school's 8th graders demonstrated on grade level science understanding. No eighth grade writing scores were reported. In seventh (7th) grade, 49% were on grade level in reading, while 28.3% showed on grade level math skills.

Coudersport Area Junior Senior High School achieved 71.4 out of 100. Reflects on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. In reading/literature - 71% were on grade level. In Algebra 1, 65.9% showed on grade level skills. In Biology, 64.6% demonstrated on grade level science understanding at the end of the course. In writing, 65% of the 8th grade students demonstrated on grade level writing skills.[25][26] Statewide, the percentage of high school students who scored proficient and advanced in Algebra I increased to 39.7% to 40.1%. The percentage of high school students who scored proficient and advanced in reading/literature declined to 52.5%. The percentage of high school students who scored proficient and advanced in biology improved from 39.7% to 41.4%.[27]

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2,134 of 2,947 Pennsylvania public schools (72 percent of Pennsylvania public schools), achieved an academic score of 70 or higher.[28] Fifty-three percent of schools statewide received lower SPP scores compared with last year's, while 46 percent improved. A handful were unchanged.[29][30]

Coudersport Area Junior Senior High School achieved 77.7 out of 100. Reflects on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. In reading/literature - 83% were on grade level. In Algebra 1, 74% showed on grade level skills. In Biology, 59.8% showed on grade level science understanding.[31] According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2,181 public schools (less than 73 percent of Pennsylvania public schools), achieved an academic score of 70 or higher. Pennsylvania 11th grade students no longer take the PSSAs. Instead, beginning in 2012, they take the Keystone Exams at the end of the associated course.[32]

In 2012, Coudersport Area Junior Senior High School declined to Warning status Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status due to missing all academic metrics measured.[33] In 2010 and 2011, Coudersport Area Junior Senior High School achieved AYP status.[34] From 2003 to 2009, Coudersport Area Junior Senior High School achieved AYP status each school year.[35]

PSSA Results

Pennsylvania System of School Assessments, commonly called PSSAs are No Child Left Behind Act related examinations which were administered from 2003 through 2012, in all Pennsylvania public high schools. The exams were administered in the Spring of each school year. The goal was for 100% of students to be on grade level or better in reading and mathematics, by the Spring of 2014. The tests focused on the state's Academic Standards for reading, writing, mathematics and science. The Science exam included content in science, technology, ecology and the environmental studies. The mathematics exam included: algebra I, algebra II, geometry and trigonometry. The standards were first published in 1998 and are mandated by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.[36]

In 2013, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania changed its high school assessments to the Keystone Exams in Algebra 1, Reading/literature and Biology1. The exams are given at the end of the course, rather than all in the spring of the student's 11th grade. year.[37]

11th Grade Reading

• 2012 - 57% on grade level, (22% below basic). State - 67% of 11th graders are on grade level.[38]
• 2011 - 70% (12% below basic). State - 69.1%[39]
• 2010 - 68%, (12% below basic). State - 67% (74 pupils)[40]
• 2009 - 76%, State - 65%[41]
• 2008 - 69%, State - 65%
• 2007 - 79%, State - 65%

11th Grade Math

• 2012 - 40% on grade level (43% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 59% of 11th graders are on grade level.[42]
• 2011 - 50% (30% below basic). State - 60.3% [43]
• 2010 - 42%, (23% below basic). State - 67%[44]
• 2009 - 58%, State - 56%[45]
• 2008 - 55%, State - 55%[46]
• 2007 - 66%, State - 53%[47]

11th Grade Science

• 2012 - 40% on grade level (12% below basic). State - 42% of 11th graders were on grade level.[48]
• 2011 - 46% (8% below basic). State - 40% [49]
• 2010 - 45%, (11% below basic). State - 40% [50]
• 2009 - 48%, State - 40% [51]
• 2008 - 45%, State - 39%

Science in Motion Coudersport Area Junior Senior High School took advantage of a state program called Science in Motion which brought college professors and sophisticated science equipment to the school to raise science awareness and to provide inquiry-based experiences for the students. The Science in Motion program was funded by a state appropriation and cost the school nothing to participate.[52] University of Pittsburgh at Bradford provided the science enrichment experiences to schools in the region.

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 25% of the Coudersport Area Junior-Senior High School graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the [Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education] or community colleges.[53] Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates, who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania, will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduate in three years.[54] Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education, one in three recent high school graduates who attend Pennsylvania's public universities and community colleges takes at least one remedial course in math, reading or English.

Coudersport Area Junior Senior High School does not offer the Pennsylvania dual enrollment program which permits Pennsylvania students to earn deeply discounted college credits while still enrolled in high school. Over 400 school districts in Pennsylvania offer this state-funded program.[55][56]

AP Courses Coudersport Area Junior Senior High School does not offer Advanced Placement courses which permit students to earn college credits at a minimal cost, while in high school.

Graduation requirements[57] for Coudy depend on whether or not a student attends the Seneca Highlands AVTS in Port Allegany for part of their school day. All students must, however, complete a Graduation Project. Effective with the graduating class of 2017, the Pennsylvania Board of Education eliminated the state mandate that students complete a culminating project in order to graduate.[58]

In 2014, Coudersport Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 504. The Math average score was 482. The Writing average score was 465.[63][64] Statewide in Pennsylvania, Verbal Average Score was 497. The Math average score was 504. The Writing average score was 480. The College Board also reported that nationwide scores were: 497 in reading, 513 in math and 487 in writing.[65]

In 2013, 38 Coudersport Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 489. The Math average score was 457. The Writing average score was 468. The College Board reported that statewide scores were: 494 in reading, 504 in math and 482 in writing. The nationwide SAT results were the same as in 2012.[66]

In 2012, 38 Coudersport Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 507. The Math average score was 500. The Writing average score was 471. The statewide Verbal SAT exams results were: Verbal 491, Math 501, Writing 480. In the US, 1.65 million students took the exams achieving scores: Verbal 496, Math 514, Writing 488. According to the College Board the maximum score on each section was 800, and 360 students nationwide scored a perfect 2,400.

In 2011, 54 Coudersport Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 469. The Math average score was 489. The Writing average score was 457.[67] Pennsylvania ranked 40th among states with SAT scores: Verbal - 493, Math - 501, Writing - 479.[68] In the United States, 1.65 million students took the exam in 2011. They averaged 497 (out of 800) verbal, 514 math and 489 in writing.[69]

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a research arm of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, compared the SAT data of students in rural areas of Pennsylvania to students in urban areas. From 2003 to 2005, the average total SAT score for students in rural Pennsylvania was 992, while urban students averaged 1,006. During the same period, 28 percent of 11th and 12th graders in rural school districts took the exam, compared to 32 percent of urban students in the same grades. The average math and verbal scores were 495 and 497, respectively, for rural students, while urban test-takers averaged 499 and 507, respectively. Pennsylvania's SAT composite score ranked low on the national scale in 2004. The composite SAT score of 1,003 left Pennsylvania ranking 44 out of the 50 states and Washington, DC.[70]

The Pennsylvania Department of Education reported that 71 percent of students in rural areas of Pennsylvania chose to continue their education after high school in 2003, whereas 79 percent of urban high school graduates opted to continue their education.

PSSA History

Seventh grades have been tested in reading and mathematics since 2006. Eighth graders are tested in: reading, writing, mathematics and science. The testing of 8th grade in reading and mathematics began in 1999, as a state initiative.[71] Testing in science began in 2007. Beginning in the Spring of 2013, eighth graders, who are enrolled in Algebra I take the Keystone Exam for Algebra I at the end of the course. The goal is for 100% of students to be on grade level or better in reading and mathematics, by the Spring of 2014. The tests focus on the state's Academic Standards for reading, writing, mathematics and science.[72] The standards were published in 1998 and are mandated by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.[36] In 2014, the Commonwealth adopted the Pennsylvania Core Standards - Mathematics.[73]

8th Grade Science:

• 2012 - 66% on grade level (19% below basic). State - 59%
• 2011 - 57% (22% below basic). State – 58.3%
• 2010 - 73%, (6% below basic). State - 55%
• 2009 - 53%, State - 57%
• 2008 - 55%, State - 50%

Dropout Early Warning System

In 2013, Coudersport Area School District did not implement a no cost dropout prevention Early Warning System and Interventions Catalog at the junior high school.[75] The process identifies students at risk for dropping out by examining the pupil's: attendance, behavior and course grades. Interventions are implemented to assist at-risk pupils to remain in school. The program is funded by federal and private dollars.[76]

The Coudersport Area High School administration reported there were zero incidents of bullying in the school in 2013. Additionally, there were no sexual incidents involving students. The local law enforcement was involved in one incident at the school, with no arrest.[77] [78] Each year the school safety data is reported by the district to the Safe School Center which then publishes the compiled reports online. Nationally, nearly 20% of pupils report being bullied at school.[79]

All Pennsylvania schools are required to have an anti-bullying policy incorporated into their Code of Student Conduct. The policy must identify disciplinary actions for bullying and designate a school staff person to receive complaints of bullying. The policy must be available on the school's website and posted in every classroom. Coudersport ASD has posted the policy online.[80] All Pennsylvania public schools must provide a copy of its anti-bullying policy to the Office for Safe Schools every year, and shall review their policy every three years. Additionally, the district must conduct an annual review of that policy with students.[81] The Center for Schools and Communities works in partnership with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to assist schools and communities as they research, select and implement bullying prevention programs and initiatives.[82]

Education standards relating to student safety and antiharassment programs are described in the 10.3. Safety and Injury Prevention in the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Health, Safety and Physical Education.[83]

Students who live in the district's attendance area may choose to attend one of Pennsylvania's 157 public charter schools. A student living in a neighboring public school district or a foreign exchange student may seek admission to Coudersport Area School District. For these cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Education sets an annual tuition rate for each school district. It is the amount the public school district pays to a charter school for each resident student that attends the charter and it is the amount a nonresident student's parents must pay to attend the district's schools. The 2012 tuition rate for the Junior Senior High School was $9,631.05.[84]

The Classroom for the Future state program provided districts with hundreds of thousands of extra state funding to buy laptop computers for each core curriculum high school class (English, Science, History, Math) and paid for teacher training to optimize the computers use. The program was funded from 2006-2009. Coudersport Area School District did not apply to participate in 2006-07. Coudersport Area School District received $103,860 in 2007-08 and $45,413 in 2008-09 for a total of $149,273 in state funding.[85] In Potter County the highest award was given to Coudersport Area School District. The highest funding statewide was awarded to Philadelphia City School District in Philadelphia County - $9,409,073. In 2010, Classrooms for the Future funding was curtailed statewide due to a massive state financial crisis.

Coudersport Area Junior Senior High School administration reported there were zero incidents of bullying in 2014. Additionally, there were two incidents involving knives and no sexual incidents involving students. The local law enforcement was involved in zero incidents at the schools.[78] [86] Each year the school safety data is reported by the district to the Safe School Center which then publishes the compiled reports online. Nationally, nearly 20% of pupils report being bullied at school.[79]

Coudersport Area School Board has provided the district's antibully policy online.[87] All Pennsylvania schools are required to have an anti-bullying policy incorporated into their Code of Student Conduct. The policy must identify disciplinary actions for bullying and designate a school staff person to receive complaints of bullying. The policy must be available on the school's website and posted in every classroom. All Pennsylvania public schools must provide a copy of its anti-bullying policy to the Office for Safe Schools every year, and shall review their policy every three years. Additionally, the district must conduct an annual review of that policy with students.[88] The Center for Schools and Communities works in with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to assist schools and communities as they research, select and implement bullying prevention programs and initiatives.[89][90] According to the Center for Disease Control’s biannual national study of high school students in 2009, five percent of Pennsylvania students did not go to school for at least one day because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school.[91]

Coudersport Area School Board established a district wellness policy in 2006.[92] The policy deals with nutritious meals served at school, the control of access to some foods and beverages during school hours, age appropriate nutrition education for all students, and physical education for students K-12. The policy is in response to state mandates and federal legislation (P.L. 108 – 265). The law dictates that each school district participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq) "shall establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006." Most districts identified the superintendent and school foodservice director as responsible for ensuring local wellness policy implementation.[93]

The Federal legislation placed the responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level so the individual needs of each district can be addressed. According to the requirements for the Local Wellness Policy, school districts must set goals for nutrition education, physical activity, campus food provision, and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. Additionally, districts were required to involve a broad group of individuals in policy development and to have a plan for measuring policy implementation. Districts were offered a choice of levels of implementation for limiting or prohibiting low nutrition foods on the school campus. In final implementation these regulations prohibit some foods and beverages on the school campus.[94] The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.

Coudersport Area School District offers both a free or reduced-price school breakfast and a free or reduced-price lunch to children in low income families. All students attending the school can eat breakfast and lunch. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level are provided a breakfast and lunch at no cost to the family. Children from families with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level can be charged no more than 30 cents per breakfast. A foster child whose care and placement is the responsibility of the State or who is placed by a court with a caretaker household is eligible for both a free breakfast and a free lunch. Runaway, homeless and Migrant Youth are also automatically eligible for free meals.[95] The meals are partially funded with federal dollars through the United States Department of Agriculture.[96]

In 2013, the USDA issued new restrictions to foods in public schools. The rules apply to foods and beverages sold on all public school district campuses during the day. They limit vending machine snacks to a maximum of 200 calories per item. Additionally, all snack foods sold at school must meet competitive nutrient standards, meaning they must have fruits, vegetables, dairy or protein in them or contain at least 10 percent of the daily value of fiber, calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D.[97] In order to comply with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 all US public school districts are required to raise the price of their school lunches to $2.60 regardless of the actual cost of providing the lunch.[98] The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 mandates that districts raise their full pay lunch prices every year until the price of non-subsidized lunches equals the amount the federal government reimburses schools for free meals. That subsidy in 2013-2014 was $2.93.

In 2014, President Obama ordered a prohibition of advertisements for unhealthy foods on public school campuses during the school day.[99] The Food and Drug Administration requires that students take milk as their beverage at lunch. In accordance with this law, any student requesting water in place of milk with their lunch must present a written request, signed by a doctor, documenting the need for water instead of milk.[100][101]

Coudersport Area School District provides health services as mandated by the Commonwealth and the federal government. A nurse is available in the building to conduct annual health screenings (data reported to the PDE and state Department of Health) and to dispense prescribed medications to students during the school day. Students can be excluded from school unless they comply with all the State Department of Health's extensive immunization mandates. School nurses monitor each pupil for this compliance.[102][103] Nurses also monitor each child's weight.[104]

In 2016, the Pennsylvania Department of Health distributed to each Pennsylvania high school the overdose antidote drug naloxone in a nasal spray. School nurses were also provided with educational materials and training developed by the National Association of School Nurses.[105] The cost was covered by a grant from a private foundation.[106]

Coudersport Area School District offers a wide variety of clubs, activities and an extensive sports program. The eligibility to participate is determined by school board policy. Coudersport Area has an extensive Athletic policy.[110] The district has a Cooperative Sports Agreement with Austin Area School District which allows Autin area students to participate in the district's sports programs.

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