Skip To Main Content

School Improvement

graduates on stage

Definitions of Key Terms:

Every Student Succeeds Act: The federal law passed in December 2015 to replace the No Child Left Behind Act, ESSA is the nation's main education law for all public schools. The law hold schools accountable for how students learn and achieve. 

Pennsylvania Department of Education: The Pennsylvania Department of Education oversees 500 public school districts, more than 170 public charter schools, public cyber charter schools, Career and Technology Centers/Vocational Technical schools, public Intermediate Units, the education of youth in State Juvenile Correctional Institutions, Head Starts and publicly funded preschools, and community colleges.

Additional Targeted Support and Improvement: This is a federally prescribed designation based on specific student groups whose performance is in the bottom five (5) percent statewide. For the Allentown School District, those groups are students with an Individualized Education Plan, English Learner students, and/or Hispanic students. William Allen High School and Dieruff High School are A-TSI designated. 

Comprehensive Support and Improvement: This is a federally-prescribed designation for schools whose school-wide performance is within the lowest performing five (5) percent statewide. Harrison Morton, Francis D. Raub, South Mountain and Trexler Middle Schools are CSI designated.