Downingtown’s Three High Schools Named To Washington Post’s 2015 America’s Most Challenging

EAST CALN TOWNSHIP, PA – The three high schools in the Downingtown Area School District were named to Washington Post’s 2015 America’s Most Challenging High School programs list.

The Downingtown STEM Academy, Downingtown West High School and Downingtown East High School all appear on the Washington Post’s newly released list. Only 38 Pennsylvania high schools achieved this honor with Downingtown being the only Pennsylvania school district to have all district high schools nationally ranked, according to the Washington Post.

“We are very proud of our students and staff,” said Lawrence Mussoline, superintendent of schools.

The report looked at public and private high schools nationwide and ranked them based on the academic rigor of the schools’ curriculum. The Post filtered the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year. That number was then divided by the number of graduation seniors. Fewer than seven percent of the approximately 27,000 high schools in America qualified for this list.

Read more:

http://www.dailylocal.com/general-news/20150422/downingtowns-three-high-schools-named-to-washington-posts-2015-americas-most-challenging

Pottstown Schools Eye Eliminating Class Rank

POTTSTOWN, PA — To rank or not to rank?

That may soon be the question.
Class rank has been a staple of high school life, and college admissions, for years beyond count.

But school board member Polly Weand raised the possibility at the Nov. 21 school board meeting that Pottstown may soon opt-out of the practice.

Weand, who chairs the school board’s curriculum and technology, said the discussion is underway at her committee, which presumably will make a recommendation to the full board, perhaps as soon as January.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20131128/pottstown-schools-eye-eliminating-class-rank

HACC Placed On Accreditation Warning Status

The accrediting organization overseeing Harrisburg Area Community College has placed the system on warning status.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education found HACC was lacking in three of its 14 criteria during the five-year periodic review.

But HACC and Middle States officials emphasized the system, which includes a York campus, is not in any immediate danger of losing its accreditation, which allows a college to grant diplomas.

The periodic review, done halfway after HACC was given its 10-year accreditation, helps make sure a college is fulfilling its obligations, said Middle States spokesman Richard Pokrass.

HACC had issues in the areas of Institutional Assessment, which deals with how well a college can monitor and show it’s doing everything it says its doing; Assessment of Student Learning, which deals with a collegetracking classroom learning and having a system to improve instruction; and General Education.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/787730_HACC-placed-on-accreditation-warning-status-.html#ixzz2DjFwCK3s