Graduation rate[edit]
In 2013, Blue Mountain School District’s graduation rate was 90%.[8] In 2012, Blue Mountain School District’s graduation rate was 94%.[9] In 2011, the District's graduation rate was 90%.[10] In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4-year cohort graduation rate. Blue Mountain High School's graduation rate was 90% for 2010.[11]
According to traditional
graduation rate calculations
2010 – 95%[12]
2009 – 93%[13]
2008 – 95%[14]
2007 – 95%[15]
2006 – 93%[16]
Academics[edit]
2013 School Performance Profile
Blue Mountain High School achieved 82.1 out of 100. In Algebra 1, 72% showed on grade level skills. In Biology, 37.8% showed on grade level science understanding.[17] 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, they now take the Keystone Exams at the end of the associated course. AYP history[edit]
In 2012, Blue Mountain High School achieved AYP status. In 2011, Blue Mountain High School declined to Warning AYP status, due to lagging student achievement.[18]
PSSA Results
11th Grade Reading
2012 - 81% on grade level (7% below basic). State - 67% of 11th graders are on grade level.[19]
2011 - 72% (15% below basic). State - 69.1% [20]
2010 - 76%, State - 67%[21]
2009 – 74%, State - 65%
2008 – 68%, State – 65%[22]
2007 – 74%, State – 65%[23]
2006 – 76%, State – 65%[24]
2005 – 75%, State – 65%
11th Grade Math
2012 - 67% on grade level (15% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 59% of 11th graders are on grade level.[25]
2011 - 59% (24% below basic). State - 60.3%[26]
2010 - 64%, State - 59%
2009 – 55%, State – 56%[27]
2008 – 57%, State – 55% [28]
2007 – 61%, State – 53%
2006 – 56%, State – 52%
2005 – 64%, State – 51%
11th Grade Science
2012 - 64% on grade level (5% below basic). State - 42% of 11th graders were on grade level.[29]
2011 - 49% (14% below basic). State - 40% [30]
2010 - 46%, State - 39%
2009 – 50%, State – 40%
2008 – 48%, State – 39%[31]
Science in Motion Blue Mountain 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.[32] Wilkes University provides the experiences to schools in the region. College remediation[edit]
According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 22% of Blue Mountain 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.[33] 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.[34] 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. Dual enrollment[edit]
Blue Mountain High School offers a Dual Enrollment program. This state program permits high school students to take courses, at local higher education institutions, to earn college credits. Students remain enrolled at their high school. The courses count towards high school graduation requirements and towards earning a college degree. The students continue to have full access to activities and programs at their high school, including the graduation ceremony. The college credits are offered at a deeply discounted rate. The state offers a small grant to assist students in costs for tuition, fees and books.[35] Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.[36]
For the 2009–10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $25,373 for the program.[37] In 2010, Governor Edward Rendell eliminated the grants to students, from the Commonwealth, due to a state budget crisis. Graduation requirements[edit]
Among Pennsylvania's 500 public school districts, graduation requirements widely vary. The Blue Mountain School Board has determined that a pupil must earn 22 credits for the Class of 2015 (and beyond) to graduate including: math 3 credits, English 4 credits, social studies 4 credits, science 3 credits, Physical Education 2 credits, Arts and Humanities 1.5 credits and electives 3.5 credits.[38]
By law, all Pennsylvania secondary school students must complete a project as a part of their eligibility to graduate from high school. The type of project, its rigor and its expectations are set by the individual school district.[39] At Blue Mountain High School, the project requires a typed research paper that crosses at least three different standards areas, and be a minimum of ten pages.[40] Effective with the graduating class of 2017, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education eliminated the state mandate that students complete a culminating project in order to graduate.[41]
By Pennsylvania School Board regulations, beginning with the class of 2017, public school students must demonstrate successful completion of secondary level course work in Algebra I, Biology, and English Literature by passing the Keystone Exams.[42] The exam is given at the end of the course. Keystone Exams replace the PSSAs for 11th grade. Students have several opportunities to pass the exam, with those who do not able to perform a project in order to graduate.[43][44] For the class of 2019, a Composition exam will be added. For the class of 2020, passing a civics and government exam will be added to the graduation requirements.[45] In 2011, Pennsylvania high school students field tested the Algebra 1, Biology and English Lit exams. The statewide results were: Algebra 1 38% on grade level, Biology 35% on grade level and English Lit - 49% on grade level.[46] Individual student, school or district reports were not made public, although they were reported to district officials by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Students identified as having special needs and qualifying for an Individual Educational Program (IEP) may graduate by meeting the requirements of their IEP. SAT Scores[edit]
In 2013, Blue Mountain School District students took the SAT exams. The District's Verbal Average Score was 510. The Math average score was 513. The Writing average score was 496. The College Board reported that statewide scores were: 494 in reading, 504 in math and 482 in writing. The nation-wide SAT results were the same as in 2012.[47]
In 2012, 156 Blue Mountain School District students took the SAT exams. The District's Verbal Average Score was 507. The Math average score was 516. The Writing average score was 497. The statewide Verbal SAT exams results were: Verbal 491, Math 501, Writing 480. In the USA, 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, 165 Blue Mountain School District students took the SAT exams. The District's Verbal Average Score was 500. The Math average score was 506. The Writing average score was 474.[48] Pennsylvania ranked 40th among states with SAT scores: Verbal - 493, Math - 501, Writing - 479.[49] 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.[50]
In 2006, Blue Mountain students had an average SAT score of 1070; average 527 in the verbal section and 543 in the math. AP Courses[edit]
In 2013, Blue Mountain High School offered 9 Advanced Placement (AP) courses at a higher cost than regular courses. Students have the option of taking College Board approved courses and then taking the College Board's examination in the Spring. Students, who achieve a 3 or better on the exam, may be awarded college credits at US universities and colleges. Each higher education institution sets its own standards about what level of credits are awarded to a student based on their AP exam score. Most higher education give credits for scores of 4 or 5. Some schools also give credits for scores of 3. High schools give credits towards graduation to students who take the school's AP class. At Blue Mountain High School 17% of students who took an AP course at the school earned a 3 or better on the exam.[51]
Tuition[edit]
Students who live in the Blue Mountain School 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 Blue Mountain 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 Blue Mountain School District's schools. The 2012 tuition rates are Elementary School - $8,263.33, High School - $8,508.62.[52]
