Valley High School Principal Kellie Abbott did her homework.
She recently read more than 600 essays written by the school's junior class. She returned the "graded" essays this week with remarks to help the students score well on the upcoming writing portion of the PSSA test.
To that end, Abbott hopes the students did their homework.
Valley's juniors have been writing essays — about every other day, more recently — in response to prompts from previous PSSA tests. They will use Abbott's guidance as an added tool in preparing for the PSSA, which they will take Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Students across the state in grades 6, 9 and 11 will take the test between Monday and Feb. 21. Teachers in school districts across the Valley also are working down to the wire to prepare their students for success.
Last year's juniors at Valley High School scored well below the state average on the writing portion of the PSSA, prompting administrators and teachers to devise a plan for future student success. Part of that plan was for teachers to give students as much individual attention as possible, Abbott said.
Administrators and teachers at Valley Middle School unveiled a more comprehensive plan in January for improving students' scores in each test area — reading, writing and math. Abbott said high school administrators are attacking math and reading as well.
"We're taking responsibility for achievement," Abbott said.
State funding is linked to improvements districts make on the PSSA. The money is an incentive for districts to create curriculums that teach students the skills they need to show proficiency in the major academic disciplines.
Opponents of the PSSA claim, among other things, that the test forces districts to focus on test material and neglect other parts of their curriculums.
State education officials said, however, that the tests are meant to guide districts in creating curriculums that will make their students competitive with other students in the state and across the country.
"You're testing to teach," said Beth Williams, state department of education spokeswoman.
Some districts in the Valley already require their students to show proficiency on the test. Eventually, each district must make that requirement as part of President Bush's No Child Left Behind program.
Allegheny Valley and Kiski Area are two districts that historically have done well on the writing portion of the PSSA. Administrators said their districts place an emphasis on cross-curriculum writing from the time students enter middle school.
In general, districts are doing the same thing this year to prepare students as in years past. A standard practice is to give students sample prompts from a state PSSA handbook and have them write practice essays.
"Like it or not, it's here," Kiski Area High School Principal Tony Nicholas said of the test.
Nicholas said that students are told at the beginning of the year how they should prepare for the test and how they're going to be scored on the test. Administrators in a number of Valley districts said they impress upon their students the importance of scoring well on the PSSA.
"It gave Valley a bad name," Valley High School junior Sunny Zampogna said about last year's scores. She said this year's juniors worked hard to redeem what they feel is a sullied image.
Zampogna said she and her classmates have been writing essays about every other day in English class as the PSSA draws closer. Students earlier in the year were writing essays every few weeks, she said.
"It's helped," Zampogna said. "My organizational skills are where I needed the most work. I think I'm better now at giving the prompt a tone and a style."
The writing portion of the PSSA tests students on informative, narrative and persuasive writing. Zampogna said her strength lies in persuasive writing.
Abbott described Zampogna as "being one of the students on the bubble." When Zampogna took the writing test in ninth grade she scored as advanced and proficient on the PSSA scale.
Abbott's goal is to ensure Zampogna is advanced in every area of the test and to that end that students who were on the bubble in ninth grade move to a higher proficiency level.
It's motivation that will get students to a higher level, Abbott said. Teachers have been stressing that to the students as much as they have been helping them improve writing skills, Abbott said.
"One of the most important things we're stressing at the high school is student buy-in — getting the kids to take responsibility for doing their best," she said.
