THE LIONS DEN

Email: aorlando@neshaminy.org
Website: https://www.neshaminy.org/Domain/1443
Location: 30 Harmony Road, Levittown, PA, USA
Phone: 215-809-6380
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/schweitzeres/

Hello, Schweitzer families!

This newsletter is to share information about the upcoming PSSA assessments beginning Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Please read below to understand more about the PSSAs, see responses to 'Frequently Asked Questions' for parents, and see how you can best support your child. Please contact me directly at aorlando@neshaminy.org with any additional questions.

Thank you for all you do at home to help support your child(ren) at school. We make a bigger impact for our students when we work together as a team!

Dr. Amy Orlando
Principal
Albert Schweitzer Elementary School

The PSSA's are coming soon! PSSA stands for Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment is a standardized test administered in public schools in the state of Pennsylvania. Every Pennsylvania student in grades 3 through 8 is assessed in English Language Arts and Math. This year Science was moved to Grade 5, so Grade 4 students are not required to take Science. The PSSA is a standards-based, criterion-referenced assessment which provides students, parents, educators and the community with an understanding of student and school performance related to the attainment of proficiency of the academic standards.

Students learn all skills, concepts, and content necessary to take the assessment within their daily reading, writing, mathematics, and science instruction. The results will be one of the measures we use as we make curricular updates and revisions. Individual performance will be one of the factors we consider when determining which students need additional support or enrichment.

The PSSA testing window for students in third and fourth grades is below for planning purposes. Please keep these dates in mind when traveling and scheduling activities.

• Please make sure your child is getting plenty of rest the night before a testing today to help set them up for success. Research has shown that when a child is well-rested that they are able to better focus and perform better on assessments.
• Be sure to encourage your child to eat breakfast on the morning of assessments. Free breakfast is available at school to all students if you prefer they eat at school.
• Students will need a water bottle in case they get thirsty. Being hydrated is another step in helping a child think clearly and feel refreshed.
• Students will be asked to have 2-3 independent reading books available each day in case they finish the assessment early. Please remind them to bring reading material including library books and any other appropriate reading material.
• Encourage your child to DO THEIR BEST! The goal is to use assessments for individual student as well as district-level and building-level planning. We want the assessments to reflect a child's abilities, so positive encouragement to try their best goes a long way.

Please feel free to support your child by reviewing sample questions in each content area below. These questions are published online by the PA Department of Education.

English Language Arts:

Grade 3 ELA Sample Questions

Grade 4 ELA Sample Questions

Mathematics:
Grade 3 Mathematics Sample Questions

Grade 4 Mathematics Sample Questions

Please click the document below to review frequently asked questions for parents. This document is published by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

We are working hard to keep our Albert Schweitzer Facebook page updated with lots of photos from school events. Please be sure to visit our site often and 'Like' our page!

https://www.facebook.com/schweitzeres/

~~ WE BUILD FUTURES ~~