CAIHS Monday Morning Message
April 8, 2024
PSSA Information from Dr. Rybarczyk
Dear Parents/Guardians,
The annual Pennsylvania System School Assessment (PSSA) is a standards-based, criterion-referenced assessment which provides students, parents/guardians, educators, and citizens with an understanding of student and school performance related to the attainment of proficiency of the Pennsylvania Academic Standards will be administered in late April through early May (building specific schedules will be provided by the building principals). These standards in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science and Technology identify what a student should know and able to do at varying grade levels. Every Pennsylvania student in grades 3 through 8 is assessed in English Language Arts and Math. Every Pennsylvania student in grades 4 and 8 is assessed in Science. In compliance with §4.51(a)(4) of the PA School Code the State Board of Education approved, "specific criteria for advanced, proficient, basic and below basic levels of performance."
If you choose to opt your child out from the assessments due to religious reasons, please follow this process:
Excusal from the PSSA
Chapter 4 of Title 22 of the Pa. Code (22 Pa. code 4.4) provides for the right of any parent/guardian to excuse his/her child from the state assessment if, upon inspection of the testing materials, he/she finds the assessment to be in conflict with his/her religious beliefs. This is the only basis for a parent/guardian to excuse his or her child from the statewide assessments.
Procedure for parent/guardian to request that student be excused from the PSSA/Keystone Exam(s):
1. The parent/guardian needs to initiate contact with Dr. Anthony Rybarczyk, Assistant Superintendent with a request for his/her student to be excused from the assessment(s).
2. Two weeks prior to the assessment(s), the Assistant Superintendent will schedule an appointment for the parent/guardian to come in and view the exam(s). The parent/guardian must sign the Parent Confidentiality Agreement provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education prior to viewing the exam. No written notes, video, or pictures can be taken of the material. The objection process is not complete until the parents/guardians view the exam(s) in the school. If the parent/guardian wants the student to be excused from several exams (i.e. ELA and Math), then the parent/guardian will need to view all exams.
3. The parent/guardian submits a written request to the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Cathrine Van Vooren, with a copy to the building principal, stating a request to have his/her child opt out of the assessment due to a religious objection. The letter must list the specific name(s) of each assessment about which there is an objection.
4. A parent/guardian will need to make this request each year he/she wishes the student to be excused and he/she will need to view the exam(s) each year as well.
5. The Assistant Superintendent will confirm with the parent/guardian that the child will be excused.
The assessment scores represent a snapshot in time of student performance and should not be considered the sole indicator of student achievement. Standardized assessments, like the PSSA and Keystone exams, help Pennsylvania meet federal and state requirements, as well as provide educators, stakeholders, and policymakers with important information about the commonwealth’s students and schools. Individual student scores, provided only to their respective schools, can be used to assist teachers in identifying students who may need additional educational opportunities, and school scores provide information to schools and districts for curriculum and instruction improvement discussions and planning.
For more information on Pennsylvania System of Assessment and the frequently asked questions, please follow the link provided below: Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA).
Please be mindful that vacation requests will not be honored during testing days. Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.
Please be aware that students attending cyber programs will be administered the assessment at their home schools. Transportation to and from school on the scheduled days needs to be provided by parents/guardians.
We are grateful for all you do to support the educational experiences for your children and value your contribution to the success of every student in the Coatesville Area School District!
Sincerely,
Anthony P. Rybarczyk, Ed. D. Assistant Superintendent
2 Short Weeks Until the PSSA's and 6 Weeks until the Keystones Exams
CAIHS Families,
The upcoming State Assessments are quickly approaching. The PSSA's provide us with an understanding of student and school performance related to the attainment of proficiency for the 8th Grade on level academic standards. Last year as a school we scored 30% Proficient/Advanced in ELA, 10% Proficient/Advanced in Math and, 32% Proficient/Advanced in Science. As you can see we have a lot of room for growth. We have been working hard in all areas to address our areas of need and to improve our scores as well as overall growth from year to year progress. Because of our scores we are on an Improvement Plan for the PA Department of Education to improve scores and attendance. It is extremely important for our students to try their best when taking the exams to show their true knowledge and because we can also track and teach to their areas of need. We will continue to send out information on the PSSA's and Keystone Exams.
CAIHS Spring Fling April 12th
The Student Council is hosting our annual 8/9 Spring Fling on Friday April 12th. Final tickets sales will be this week All sales will take place during lunch. You will not be eligible if you are on the ineligibility list or you have been suspended starting March 18th, until the day of the Spring Fling. If you are ineligible or suspended you will not be permitted to attend the dance. This was an awesome event last year and we want everyone to participate. The cost of the tickets will be $10 we look forward to seeing your best dance moves.
After School Tutoring
After School Tutoring has begun. Please see the schedule below for drop in sessions to help with your grades, PSSA's and Keystone preparation. All tutoring sessions will run to 3:15 p.m. unless the teachers specifies that the session will run later. Below is the schedule for the students to drop in and receive the tutoring and they can work on improving the grades or PSSA or Keystone Prep.
ELA: Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Thursdays with Ms. Town in Room 208
ELA: Monday and Tuesday with Mrs. Finnerty in Room 112 and for make-up work in all classes
Math: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday with Mr. Kefover in Room 304 and Dr. Dantzler in Room 306
Math: Monday and Wednesday with Mrs. Wagner in Room 305
Math: Monday and Thursday with Ms. Homer in Room 303
Coming in April Biology Teachers will start after school tutoring for the upcoming Keystones Exams. Stay tuned.
Pathways to Graduation Information
Please see the Powerpoint for the Pathways to Graduation. In order to graduate with a diploma in Pennsylvania students have to complete one of these pathways. The first way is to pass the three Keystone exams for Algebra, Biology and Literature. Please take time to review this with you student as we will also review it with them in school.
Coatesville Community Health and Wellness Fair
Please Support the Coatesville Music Program and Fundraiser
School Store
Below is a link to order Coatesville Merchandise for you and your family. We have a variety of clothing options from sweatshirts, 3/4 quarter zips, T-Shirts, Sweatpants, polos, and lots of other options in many colors and styles. Below is the link to order. https://caihsstaffstore.itemorder.com/shop/home/
ATTENDANCE
If a student misses 18 days of school and/or 9 days in a semester, and/or misses the same class 18 times, and/or is habitually late to school, he/she will be required to have a School Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) meeting. From the meeting, the team will discuss the student’s attendance and make a potential recommendation for retention or being held back.
In order to receive credit, a student must attend 90% of his/her class days.
If a student misses more than 10 lawful or unlawful absences, requires an excuse from a licensed practitioner of the healing arts or medical doctor.
A student can be retained for failing to show academic achievement for promotion.
Retention or being held back shall only be considered for the worst-case scenarios and parents/guardians will be notified and a part of the process.
CAIHS families, should you have any questions, please reach out to CAIHS's administration.
Year Book Early Sales Event
The 2023-2024 Coatesville Area Intermediate High School Yearbook is currently on sale for $40. Make sure you order early to get the sale price and current promotions. If you have any questions, please reach out to the yearbook advisor Ms. Perri at PerriA@casdschools.org
HOME ACCESS CENTER & STUDENT SCHEDULES
Students and Parents,
Parents, the Home Access Center is open for you to view your student’s schedule and grades. The Home Access Center can be reached at the following link:
http://homeaccess.casdschools.org/HomeAccess/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2fhomeaccess
As students enter the site:
Username: firstname.lastname (no spaces)
Password: student ID
Counselors contact information (Grades 8-9) for schedule issues is:
Last Names: A-L Mrs. Rodgers at rodgerst@casdschools.org
Last Names: M-Z Mr. Shirk at shirks@casdschools.org
CHROMEBOOKS/TECHNOLOGY
Please remember to charge your Chromebook and be sure to bring your school issued Chromebook and Charger the first day of school. If your child doesn’t have a Chromebook, they will be issued one during the first few weeks of school.
- For new students- chromebooks are being formatted and will be handed out to those students in the 1st and 2nd weeks of school.
- For students who have broken or lost chromebooks we will lend you a chromebook until yours can be replaced.
- 9th grade students- will continue to use your current chromebook and when the new chromebooks come in you will turn in your old chromebook and receive a new one.
The annual technology insurance fees for the 2023-24 school year were posted to Rev Track. As always, the technology insurance fee for students receiving compass benefits is waived.
Also, there is an annual cap of $100 per family to support families with multiple children. Please remit the posted technology insurance fees before the start of the school year - The discount is applied at checkout.
- Grades K-12: $40 per student
- The annual technology insurance fee includes one device repair per school year at no cost – The most common repair is replacing a screen at a cost of $450 for devices.
- Subsequent repairs beyond the first repair per school year incur a progressive repair deductible, depending on the device type.