Bloomsburg Area High School

Bloomsburg Area High School is a small, rural and suburban public high school located at 1200 Railroad Street, Bloomsburg. In 2010, Bloomsburg Area High School reported an enrollment of 358 pupils in grades 9th through 12th, with 115 pupils eligible for a federal free or reduced-price lunch. The school was a federally designated Title I school. The school employed 37 teachers, yielding a student–teacher ratio of 9:1.[5] According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 100% of its teachers were rated "Highly Qualified" under No Child Left Behind.[6]

Bloomsburg Area High School
Address
1200 Railroad Street

Bloomsburg
,
Columbia County
,
Pennsylvania
17815-2305

United States
Information
TypePublic
School board9 locally elected members
School districtBloomsburg Area School District
SuperintendentCosmas C. Curry
AdministratorRyan K. Moran, Director of Elementary and Secondary Education

Gary Honabach, Director of Technology
Michael A. Upton, Business Administrator
Donna Christensen, Director of Special Education

Melissa Everhart, Food Service Director
PrincipalMr.Daniel Bonomo, HS
Faculty36 teachers in 2012
Grades9th - 12th
Age14 years old to 21 years old special education
Number of pupils422 pupils (2014)[1]

438 pupils (2013),[2]
440 pupils (2012)

358 pupils (2010-11)[3]
 • Grade 6122 (2012), 132
 • Grade 7153(2012), 115
 • Grade 8120 (2012), 138
 • Grade 9104 (2012), 129
 • Grade 10103 (2012), 115
 • Grade 11116 (2012), 116
 • Grade 12115 (2012), 107 (2010)
 • OtherDistrict Enrollment projected to decline to 1,493 students in 2019[4]
Color(s)Red and White
MascotPanther
Team namePanthers
NewspaperRed and White
Feeder schoolsBloomsburg Area Middle School
District pupil spending$11,671 (2008)
District Per pupil spending$11,647.20 (2010)
Websitebloomsburgasd.schoolwires.com

It is the sole high school operated by Bloomsburg Area School District. High school aged students have the choice of attending Bloomsburg Area High School, attending a cyber charter school or transferring to the Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School which is a regional technical school for training in the trades.

Curriculum and Graduation

Advanced Placement Curricula

As of 2014, Bloomsburg Area High School offered 4 Advanced Placement (AP) courses at a higher cost than regular courses. Students have the option of taking College Board approved courses and then taking the College Board's examination in the Spring. Students, who achieve at least a certain score on the exam, may be awarded college credits at US universities and colleges. Each higher education institution sets its own standards about what level of credits are awarded to a student based on their AP exam score. At Bloomsburg Area High School, 63% of students who took an AP course earned a 3 or better on the exam.[7]

Extracurriculars

Bloomsburg Area School District offers a wide variety of clubs, activities and an extensive sports program. The school board sets policies regarding eligibility to participate in these activities.[8][9] Varsity and junior varsity athletic activities are under the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and the regional Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference.[10] The Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference is a voluntary association of 25 PIAA High Schools within the central Pennsylvania region.

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, are eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs, including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.[11]

According to Pennsylvania’s Safety in Youth Sports Act, all sports coaches, paid and volunteer, are required to annually complete the Concussion Management Certification Training and present the certification before coaching.[12][13]

Sports

Coaches and all those who assist in student activities must have criminal background checks. Like all school district employees, they must also attend an anti child abuse training once every three years.[14][15][16] Coaches receive compensation as outlined in the teachers' union contract. When athletic competition exceeds the regular season, additional compensation is paid.[17]

The District funds:

Middle School Sports

According to PIAA directory July 2012 [18]

Graduation requirements

Among Pennsylvania's 500 public school districts, graduation requirements widely vary. The Bloomsburg Area School Board has determined that a pupil must earn 27.25 credits to graduate, which are: 4 credits of mathematics, English, social studies, and science; 2 credits of physical education; 1 credit of art/humanities, health, and business tech; 0.5 credit of personal finance; and 0.25 credit of drivers ed. In addition, pupils are required to take electives.[19]

The state has some additional requirements for Bloomsburg students. By Pennsylvania School Board regulations, beginning with the class of 2017, public school students must demonstrate successful completion of secondary level course work in Algebra I, Biology, and English Literature by passing the Keystone Exams.[20][21][22] For the class of 2019, a composition exam was added. In addition, for the class of 2020, passing a civics and government exam will be added to the graduation requirements.[23]

Graduation rate

In 2014, the graduation rate at Bloomsburg Area High School was 92%.[24]

Previous graduation rates for BAHS
2013 2012 2011 2010
89%[25] 87%[26] 93%[27] 85%[28]

School Performance

Standardized Testing

In 2014, Bloomsburg Area High School achieved 83.9 out of 100 on the School Performance Profile (SPP). This measurement reflects how many students are on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. In reading/literature, 85% of pupils were on grade level. In Algebra 1, 81% showed on grade level skills at the end of the course. In Biology, 73% demonstrated on grade level science understanding at the end of the course.[29][30] Statewide, the percentage of high school students who scored proficient and advanced in Algebra I increased from 39.7% to 40.1%. The percentage of high school students who scored proficient and advanced in reading/literature declined to 52.5%. The percentage of high school students who scored proficient and advanced in biology improved from 39.7% to 41.4%.[31]

PSSA Results

Pennsylvania System of School Assessments, commonly called PSSAs are No Child Left Behind Act related examinations which were administered from 2003 through 2012. The exams were administered in the Spring of each school year. In 2013, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania changed its high school assessments to the Keystone Exams in Algebra 1, Reading/literature and Biology1. The exams are given at the end of the course, rather than all in the spring of the student's 11th grade year.[32]

SAT Scores

While the SAT is not a required test, it is a common barometer for college admissions, meaning that a significant number of pupils at Bloomsburg opt to take the exams yearly. The chart below is a compilation of the average scores of BAHS students.

BAHS SAT Scores
Year Average

Scores

2014 Reading: 512

Math: 504

Writing: 498[33]

2013 Reading: 499

Math: 491

Writing: 478[7]

2012 Unknown
2011 Reading: 535

Math: 509

Writing: 504[34]

College Remediation

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 19% of Bloomsburg Area School District's graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or community colleges.[35] Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates, who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania, will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduate in three years.[36] Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education, one in three recent high school graduates who attend Pennsylvania's public universities and community colleges takes at least one remedial course in math, reading or English.

US News Ranking

US News and World Report ranked 21,000 public high schools in the United States, based on three factors. First, the schools were analyzed for the number of students who achieved above the state average on the reading and math tests. Then they considered how the economically disadvantaged students performed against the state average. Finally, they considered the participation rate and the performance of students in college readiness by examining Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate test data. Bloomsburg Area High School ranked 45th place in Pennsylvania and 1,758th among USA high schools, for a silver medal in 2014. Among Pennsylvania high schools (traditional, charter and private) 56 achieved gold or silver medals. Another 103 high schools achieved bronze rating out of 698 Pennsylvania high schools reviewed.[37] The Bloomsburg Area High School was ranked Silver in 2011 and was listed as #1,560 of all high schools in the nation.[38] In 2009, Bloomsburg Area High School was ranked Bronze. Seventy Pennsylvania high schools achieved bronze, silver or gold rating. Fifty three Pennsylvania high schools achieved bronze.[39] However, In 2013, Bloomsburg was not in the top rankings.[40]

Opportunities Offered to Students

Science in Motion

Bloomsburg Area High School and Bloomsburg Area Middle School both took advantage of a state program called Science in Motion which brought college professors and sophisticated science equipment to the school to raise science awareness and to provide inquiry-based experiences for the students. The Science in Motion program was funded by a state appropriation and cost the school nothing to participate.[41] Susquehanna University provided the science enrichment experiences to schools in the region.

Dual enrollment

Bloomsburg Area High School offers a dual enrollment program. This state program permits high school students to take courses, at local higher education institutions, to earn college credits. Students remain enrolled at their high school. The courses count towards high school graduation requirements and towards earning a college degree. The students continue to have full access to activities and programs at their high school. The college credits are offered at a deeply discounted rate. The state offers a small grant to assist students in costs for tuition, fees and books.[42] Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.[43] The Pennsylvania College Credit Transfer System reported in 2009, that students saved nearly $35.4 million by having their transferred credits count towards a degree under the new system.[44] Under state rules, other students, that reside in the district, who attend a private school, a charter school or are homeschooled are eligible to participate in this program.[45]

ACE

Bloomsburg Area School District students have access to Bloomsburg University's Summer College and Advanced College Experience (ACE) during the summer of their sophomore, junior and senior years (after high school graduation). Tuition is deeply discounted to 75% of the regular student rate.[46] Successful students earn college credits that can be transferred to other Pennsylvania public colleges and universities through the Pennsylvania TRAC system.[47]

Classrooms for the Future grant

The Classroom for the Future state program provided districts with hundreds of thousands of extra state funding to buy laptop computers for each core curriculum high school class (English, Science, History, Math) and paid for teacher training to optimize the computers use. The program was funded from 2006-2009. Bloomsburg Area School District was denied funding in 2006-07. In 2007-08 the district administration did not apply for funding. The district received $83,441 in 2008-09.[48] Among the public school districts in Columbia County, the largest grant was awarded to Berwick Area School District $403,446. The grant program was discontinued by Governor Edward Rendell as part of the 2009-10 state budget.

School safety and bullying

The Bloomburg Area School District administration reported there were two incidents of bullying in the High School in 2012. Additionally, there was an assault on a student, an incident of Racial/Ethnic Intimidation and a case of sexual harassment involving students. The local law enforcement was involved in four incidents at the schools, with two arrests.[49][50] Each year the school safety data is reported by the district to the Safe School Center which then publishes the compiled reports online.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act established the Unsafe School Choice Option.[51] Each state that receives federal funds was mandated to establish a statewide policy requiring that a student at a “persistently dangerous” public school be allowed to transfer/enroll in a safe public school. The policy permitted a student who becomes the victim of a violent criminal offense, while in or on the grounds of any public school that he or she attends, to transfer to a safe public school. Each year since 2006, the Pennsylvania Department of Education has released a list of Persistently Dangerous Schools. Bloomsburg Area School District schools have not been on the lists.[52]

The Bloomsburg Area School Board has provided the district's antibully policy online.[53] All Pennsylvania schools are required to have an anti-bullying policy incorporated into their Code of Student Conduct. The policy must identify disciplinary actions for bullying and designate a school staff person to receive complaints of bullying. The policy must be available on the school's website and posted in every classroom. All Pennsylvania public schools must provide a copy of its anti-bullying policy to the Office for Safe Schools every year, and shall review their policy every three years. Additionally, the District must conduct an annual review of that policy with students.[54] The Center for Schools and Communities works in partnership with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to assist schools and communities as they research, select and implement bullying prevention programs and initiatives.[55][56]

Education standards relating to student safety and anti harassment programs are described in the 10.3. Safety and Injury Prevention in the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Health, Safety and Physical Education.[57]

Safe School grant

In 2013, Bloomsburg Area School District did not participate in the state's Safe Schools Targeted Grant. The maximum of $25,000 grants were awarded through a competitive application process.[58] The funds must be used for research based interventions, like: peer mediation, staff training in managing behavioral issues and creating a positive school climate. The School also did not participate in the state's School Resource Officer and Police Officer grant which provided funding to have a police officer in the school.

Wellness policy

Bloomsburg Area School Board established a district-wide Wellness Policy in 2006 – Policy 246.[59] The policy deals with nutritious meals served at school, the control of access to some foods and beverages during school hours, age appropriate nutrition education for all students, and physical education for students K-12. The policy is in response to state mandates and federal legislation (P.L. 108 – 265). The law dictates that each school district participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq) "shall establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006."

The legislation placed the responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level so the individual needs of each district can be addressed. According to the requirements for the Local Wellness Policy, school districts must set goals for nutrition education, physical activity, campus food provision, and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. Additionally, all public school districts are required to involve a broad group of individuals in policy development and to have a plan for measuring policy implementation. Districts were offered a choice of levels of implementation for limiting or prohibiting low nutrition foods on the school campus. In final implementation these regulations prohibit some foods and beverages on the school campus.[60] The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.

Bloomsburg Area High School offers a free school breakfast and free or reduced-price lunch to children in low income families. All students attending the school can eat breakfast and lunch. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level are provided a breakfast and lunch at no cost to the family. Children from families with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level can be charged no more than 30 cents per breakfast. A foster child whose care and placement is the responsibility of the State or who is placed by a court with a caretaker household is eligible for both a free breakfast and a free lunch. Runaway, homeless and Migrant Youth are also automatically eligible for free meals.[61] The meals are partially funded with federal dollars through the United States Department of Agriculture.[62]

In 2013, the USDA issued new restrictions to foods in public schools. The rules apply to foods and beverages sold on all public school district campuses during the day. They limit vending machine snacks to a maximum of 200 calories per item. Additionally, all snack foods sold at school must meet competitive nutrient standards, meaning they must have fruits, vegetables, dairy or protein in them or contain at least 10 percent of the daily value of fiber, calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D.[63] In order to comply with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 all US public school districts are required to raise the price of their school lunches to $2.60 regardless of the actual cost of providing the lunch.[64] In 2014, President Obama ordered a prohibition of advertisements for unhealthy foods on public school campuses during the school day.[65] The Food and Drug Administration requires that students take milk as their beverage at lunch. In accordance with this law, any student requesting water in place of milk with their lunch must present a written request, signed by a doctor, documenting the need for water instead of milk.[66]

Bloomsburg Area High School provides health services as mandated by the Commonwealth and the federal government. Nurses are available in each building to conduct annual health screenings (data reported to the PDE and state Department of Health) and to dispense prescribed medications to students during the school day. Students can be excluded from school unless they comply with all the State Department of Health’s extensive immunization mandates. School nurses monitor each pupil for this compliance.[67] Nurses also monitor each child's weight.

Highmark Healthy High 5 grant

In 2011, the High School received a $10,000 in grant funding through a Highmark Healthy High 5 grant. There funds were used to purchase equipment to complement existing physical education curriculum and to be able to monitor heart rates and evaluate through fitnessgram testing.[68] Beginning in 2006, Highmark Foundation engaged in a 5-year, $100 million program to promote lifelong healthy behaviors in children and adolescents through local nonprofits and schools.

gollark: Since most people handwave that kind of issue anyway, I assume the main practical issues are just ickiness-related.
gollark: There are some reasonable arguments regarding animal welfare. While IIRC the insect meat is more energy-dense, insects are small so you need lots more insects to get some amount of energy than you would for, say, sheep. Most people would rank each insect as less important/worthy-of-moral-consideration than the sheep, but potentially not *enough* lower that it's equal/better given the large number.
gollark: It's not like they have spikes/thorns and poisons just for decoration.
gollark: I suppose there are a lot of policies which could be cool™ with good governance but are bad in any practical setting.
gollark: A while ago. I think this would be an example of "government bad".

References
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  2. Pennsylvania Department of Education (October 4, 2013). "School Profile Fast Facts Bloomsburg Area School District".
  3. National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data, 2010
  4. Pennsylvania Department of Education Enrollment and Projection by School District January 2009
  5. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Care Data - Bloomsburg Area High School, 2010
  6. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Professional Qualifications of Teachers Bloomsburg Area High School, September 29, 2011
  7. PDE, School Performance Profile - Academic Performance Data - Bloomsburg Area High School, December 2013
  8. Bloomsburg Area School Board (November 28, 2007). "Bloomsburg Area School District Policy 122 Extracurriculars". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012.
  9. Bloomsburg Area School Board (October 21, 2010). "Bloomsburg Area School District Interscholastic Athletics Policy 123". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012.
  10. "Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference School list". 2012.
  11. Home-Schooled, Charter School Children Can Participate in School District Extracurricular Activities, Pennsylvania Office of the Governor Press Release, November 10, 2005
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  16. Ali Stevens., Child Protective Services Law impacts schools, WKOK.com 1070AM, January 6, 2015
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  58. Pennsylvania Department of Education (February 21, 2014). "Acting Secretary of Education Announces $2.6 Million in Safe Schools Targeted Grants".
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  65. Denver Nicks (February 25, 2014). "White House Sets New Limits on Junk Food Ads in Schools". Time Magazine.
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  67. Pennsylvania State Department of Health (2010). "Pennsylvania Bulletin Doc. No. 10-984 School Immunizations; Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases".
  68. Highmark Foundation, 2011 School Challenge Grants, 2011

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