Schools in Phoenixville and York Make Considerable Gains on
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)
NEW YORK, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Edison Schools (Nasdaq: EDSN),
the nation's largest private manager of public schools, announced today that
two of its schools in Pennsylvania have made considerable gains on the
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), the state's primary means of
accountability. The Renaissance Academy in Phoenixville posted an average
gain of 8 percentage points in Reading and Math for grades 5 and 8. The
Lincoln Charter School in York posted an average gain of 10 percentage points
in Reading and Math for grade 5. In contrast, the state scores remained
essentially flat in Reading and Math for grades 5 and 8.
In addition, Renaissance Academy reduced the percentage of students in the
"Below Basic" category by an average of 6 percentage points across all
subjects and grades, while Lincoln Charter School reduced the percentage of
students in the same category by an average of 10 percentage points. The
state stayed essentially flat in the percentage of students in the "Below
Basic" category.
"The entire school is very proud of our students performance on the PSSA
over the last two years," said Angie Padrnos, principal of Renaissance
Academy. "Our staff and students are to be commended for their focus and
dedication to improving education here."
"We are all very thrilled with this year's results," said Jamy Jackson,
principal of Lincoln Charter School. "This year's improvements were the
result of a school-wide effort. The students and staff here worked hard all
year to make a difference in student achievement, and our scores reflect
that."
Meanwhile, Edison's nine schools in Chester-Upland posted baseline scores
on the PSSA during the first year of its partnership with Edison that reflect
the historically low performance of the district. Enrollment changes of
approximately 600 students (almost 10 percent of total district enrollment),
as a result of the partnership between Edison and Chester-Upland, make
comparisons to prior year scores inappropriate.
Earlier data on the nationally norm-referenced Stanford Achievement Test
(SAT9), however, which was administered to Edison Chester-Upland students in
grades 2 through 12 showed good progress. The assessments were administered
in Reading, Math and Language Arts over a six-month period from fall 2001 to
spring 2002. On average, Edison Chester-Upland students made an overall gain
of 2 percentile points across all schools, grades, and subject areas. Of the
nine Chester-Upland partnership schools, four made measurable gains, three
schools' scores remained unchanged, and two schools had an average overall
loss.
"We are extremely pleased with the success shown by our schools in
Phoenixville and York, and are proud of their continued efforts to raise
student achievement," said John Chubb, Edison's Chief Education Officer. "We
are also encouraged by the progress shown by our Chester-Upland schools. The
staffs in our Chester-Upland schools should be proud of the system-wide SAT9
gains, especially since they were made after last year's late start, with an
adjustment to a new curriculum and extensive teacher training. They are
poised for even greater achievement advances this year."
About Edison
Edison Schools manages 150 public schools with a total enrollment of
approximately 80,000 students. Through contracts with local school districts
and public charter school boards, Edison generally assumes educational and
operational responsibility for individual schools in return for funding that
is comparable to that spent on other public schools in the area. Over the
course of three years of intensive research, Edison's team of leading
educators and scholars developed an innovative, research-based curriculum and
school design. Edison opened its first four schools in August 1995, and has
grown rapidly in every subsequent year. For more information, please visit
http://www.edisonschools.com.
Any statements in this press release and any other press release issued by
Edison on or about the date hereof about future expectations, plans and
prospects for Edison, including statements containing the words "believes,"
"anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from
those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various
important factors, including the risk factors discussed in our most recent
annual report on form 10-K/A filed with the SEC. The forward-looking
statements included in this press release represent Edison's estimates as of
October 16, 2002. Edison anticipates that subsequent events and developments
will cause its estimates to change. While Edison may elect to update these
forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Edison specifically
disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not
be relied upon as representing Edison's estimates or views as of any date
subsequent to October 16, 2002.
SOURCE Edison Schools
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Related links:
http://www.edisonschools.com
CONTACT:
John Chubb, +1-212-419-1641, or Adam Tucker,
+1-212-419-1602, both of Edison Schools
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