Jim Thorpe school district, like every other district in the state, saw their PSSA scores take a sharp dive in 2015.

This year’s test was significantly different from past years, with more emphasis on “common core” standards. Statewide, English and language arts scores went down by more than 10 percent, and math scores went down by as much as 40 in some grades.As a result, Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced that this year’s PSSA scores would not be included on districts’ “School performance profiles” — basically a report card on how the school is doing as a whole. The move came as a relief to administrators across the state, including Jim Thorpe.“It’s not meaningful for us to compare the past scores to what our students did in 2015. You’re not comparing apples to apples,” Superintendent Brian Gapser said.However, with the common core on the test for the foreseeable future, Jim Thorpe is changing its curriculum to teach students common core principles, and ultimately improve their scores on the test.Gasper gave school board members a glimpse at those changes at Tuesday night’s board meeting, as he explained why the scores wouldn’t be counted in 2015.“It’s getting very difficult to get proficient or advanced. Those areas have gotten smaller so it’s more difficult for our students to get there,” he said.Final PSSA results are not due out until the end of the month. Gasper did not share the school’s preliminary scores Tuesday, but he said the district’s change in scores generally reflected the state average.Gasper said that the district has been strategically planning to change its curriculum to teach the common core standards. They started rewriting the curriculum during the 2012-13 school year.“The major differences in the test are from mathematics — where we really have to adjust our curriculum, as we’ve been doing to meet these cut scores.This year, new math curricula emphasizing common core standards were implemented in grades 3-5. Next year, they will expand to grades 6-8.Common core standards were developed to establish consistency between states, and ensure that graduating students are prepared for the workforce or college.Gasper said that he was optimistic that the changes will lead to results.“If we focus on the results we’re never going to change, but if we focus on change we’re going to get some results,” Gasper said.