Northgate students met all goals and achieved the dreaded “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP) in every category on the 2011 state tests, albeit with a bit of fudging in areas.

Students in grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 at the elementary level, and grades 7, 8 and 9 at the middle/senior high level, are testing annually by the state to determine if students are achieving adequate process in reading and math. Each year, the percentage of children that must score at a “proficient” or higher level is increased by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and that proficiency is measured by the PSSA tests.

Scores are tallied for each grade overall, and also for any subgroups with sufficient student population, such as ethnicity, economically disadvantaged status, and special education or Individualized Education Plans (IEP) students.

The goal for elementary schools in the 2010-11 school year was to have at least 67 percent of the students achieve at least proficiency in math, and 72 percent in reading.

At Avalon Elementary, 81.4 percent of the overall student population tested achieved that goal, while 73.6 percent did the same in reading. Among economically disadvantaged students, however, only 67.1 percent of the students were proficient in reading, putting that group below the target of 72 percent. However, according to assistant to the superintendent Kathleen Gallagher, application of a “confidence interval” that takes past scores into consideration resulted in the state accepting the lower percentage as an adequate score.

That interval also came into play at the middle/senior high school, where overall student scores did not quite reach the 67 percent proficiency mark in math, instead landing at 66.1 percent.

In reading, 76 percent of the total number of secondary students tested were at least proficient, easily exceeding the 72 percent goal set by the state. The economically disadvantaged subgroup, however, again fell short, with only 67.8 percent proficient in reading.

Bellevue Elementary once again produced the highest levels of proficiency, but also needed the interval to meet its goal with regard to economically disadvantaged students.

In reading, 85.9 percent of Bellevue students tested at the required level, while 79.3 percent did the same in math. Among poorer students, however, the reading proficiency dropped to 67 percent.

The economically disadvantaged account for a significant portion of the student bodies at each of the district’s schools, according to Gallagher and superintendent Dr. Reggie Bonfield.

At Avalon, 75 students -- or 55 percent of the student population -- are designated economically disadvantaged. The percentages are slightly lower at the district’s other schools: 128 students, or 47 percent, at the middle/high school, and 120 students, some 49 percent, at Bellevue Elementary.

Bonfield said that research indicates there is a “strong correlation” between poverty and test scores for a variety of reasons. One problem occurs during the summer vacation months, he said, when poorer students may not be able to afford some of the educational opportunities available to more affluent families, and therefore “lose ground” over the summer.

The problem also is growing, Bonfield said. A decade ago, according to Bonfield, about 35 percent of Northgate students were eligible for free or reduced school lunches. That group has grown to 55 percent, he said.

Also increasing is the special education population in the district, which Bonfield said has grown from about 11 percent 10 years ago to as much as 23 percent at Avalon Elementary.

All of these considerations factor in to the district’s challenge to meet increasing educational goals set by the state and federal governments. Gallagher said that next year, goal proficiency levels will be 78 percent in math and 81 percent in reading.

As those goals go up, the number of school districts whose students are meeting them is likely to continue going down, Bonfield said. Between 2010 and 2011, he said, the number of schools making AYP went from 86 percent to 81 percent.

Last year, Gallagher said, federal stimulus funds provided remedial tutoring programs in the schools. Although those funds gone, she said, teachers are continuing to step up and make sure students get the help they need.

Given the challenges, Bonfield said that he was pleased with the testing results for Northgate.

“I think this district in many ways defies the odds,” he said.