The Pennsylvania State Department of Education has finally released it's "District Report Card" detailing student performance on the state's standardized tests for the 2008-2009 school year. The report provides information about the district's attendance and graduation data, the district's performance compared with the goals set by No Child Left Behind, as well as the district's performance toward Adequate Yearly Progress, a key indicator of district performance.

"Our goals pretty far exceed the No Child Left Behind goals in every aspect," said Jim Thorpe Area School District board member Michael Huber, chairman of the board's curriculum committee. "If you look at our district compared to what the state requires, we either match or exceed all of the expectations that were set by No Child Left Behind."But not all board members were as pleased with the results of the report card."As I reviewed the document, I couldn't help but notice that at the eighth grade level we showed some backsliding compared to our 2007-2008 report," said board member Randall Smith. "I think we need to have a close look at that."Smith said he thought the board should ask the administration to analyze the data in an effort to refine the district's efforts going forward."It's not alarming, but it's concerning what we're seeing at the 8th grade level in reading, math and science," Smith said.Jim Thorpe Area School District Superintendent Barbara Conway didn't argue with Smith's comments, but pointed out that the data can be misleading if not studied carefully."I agree, Mr. Smith," Conway said. "However, I would caution also that when we look at the 2007-2008 versus 2008-2009 data, we're looking at two different classes. We are not comparing apples to apples."In terms of attendance, the state sets a standard of 90 percent. Jim Thorpe enjoyed a 93 percent attendance rate compared to a state average of 94 percent. In terms of graduating students, the state sets the bar at 80 percent. The state graduation average was 89 percent; Jim Thorpe graduated 99 percent of its students during the 2008-2009 report period.Overall, the district's performance in mathematics, with students in grades 3-8 and 11 taking the test, 71 percent of students scored proficient or above. Only 11 percent of the district's students fell into the below basic category.In reading, which saw the same group of students taking the test, 69 percent of Jim Thorpe students tested proficient or above. Only 14 percent of students tested fell into the below basic performance level.All three schools in the Jim Thorpe Area School District met their Annual Yearly Progress goals.