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U.S. News and World Report Ranks USCHS as One of the Best! The U.S. News and World Report has ranked Upper St. Clair High School (USCHS) as one of the best high schools in America. It ranked USCHS number six among Pennsylvania’s 690 public, magnet, and charter high schools and number 456 of more than 19,400 high schools nationwide. Schools are evaluated based on the key principles that a great high school must serve all of its students well, not just those who are college bound, and it must be able to produce measurable academic outcomes to show the school
is successfully educating its student body across a range of performance indicators. Performance on state proficiency tests is used as a benchmark, as well as collegereadiness performance that is determined using Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test data. “As USC superintendent, I congratulate our students for their outstanding performance,” stated Dr. Patrick O’Toole.“Our ranking demonstrates USC community’s commitment to delivering excellence in education.” n
Changes Coming to SAT® Exam Typically, it’s one of the most stressful events of a high school student’s junior year—college entrance exams. But earlier this year, College Board officials announced that they would be updating the SAT® exam, starting in the spring of 2016. This is the first update in the test since 2005; one that officials say was needed to make the exam more representative of what students study in high school and more focused on the skills students will need in college and beyond. The new SAT® will still test students on reading, writing, and math skills, with an emphasis on analysis. Scoring will be on a 1600-point scale, and there will be a separate score for the optional essay. Students will have the option of taking the test using a computer. One of the biggest changes in the test is the elimination of the penalty for wrong answers, which discouraged guessing. Vocabulary words will be replaced with words that are more widely used in classroom and work settings. The mathematics portion of the new exam will focus on skills most needed for college and afterward, instead of
testing a wide range of math concepts, and a calculator will be allowed only on certain math questions, instead of on the entire math portion. The optional essay portion of the test will also be changed to measure a student’s ability to analyze and explain how an author builds an argument, rather than measuring the coherence of writing, but not the quality or accuracy of reasoning. The colleges to which a student applies will determine whether the essay will be required. When the SAT® was upgraded in 2005, the essay portion was added and analogy questions were removed. In 1994, antonym questions were removed and calculators were allowed for the first time. Upper St. Clair Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Patrick O’Toole, commented, “It is a good practice to periodically update student assessment systems. Our staff will work with students and parents to interpret the impact of these changes.” n
One of the biggest changes in the test is the elimination of the penalty for wrong answers
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UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/ education/major-changes-in-sat-announcedby-college-board.html?_r=0 Fall 2014
Top Schools in Pennsylvania 1. Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School (Philadelphia) 2. Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (Erie) 3. New Hope-Solebury High School (New Hope) 4. Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School (Wyomissing) 5. Conestoga High School (Berwyn) 6. Upper St. Clair High School 7. Unionville High School (Kennett Square) 8. Radnor High School (Radnor) 9. Wissahickon Senior High School (Ambler) 10. Great Valley High School (Malvern)
SAT® Key Changes Include: • I n s t e a d o f a rc a n e “ S AT ® w o rd s ” (“depreciatory,” “membranous”), the vocabulary definitions on the new exam will be those of words commonly used in college courses, such as “synthesis” and “empirical.” • The essay, required since 2005, will become optional. Those who choose to write an essay will be asked to read a passage and analyze the ways its author used evidence, reasoning, and stylistic elements to build an argument. • The guessing penalty, in which points are deducted for incorrect answers, will be eliminated. • The overall scoring will return to the old 1600-point scale, based on a top score of 800 in reading and 800 in math. The essay will have a separate score. • Math questions will focus on three areas: linear equations; complex equations or functions; and ratios, percentages, and proportional reasoning. Calculators will be permitted on only part of the math section. • Every exam will include, in the reading and writing section, source documents from a broad range of disciplines, including science and social studies. On some questions, students will be asked to select the quotation from the text that supports the answer they have chosen. • Every exam will include a reading passage either from one of the nation’s founding documents or from one of the important discussions of such texts.