Shamokin Area High School


Shamokin Area High School is a small, rural/suburban, public high school operated by Shamokin Area School District. It is the sole high school operated by the district. The building is labeled Shamokin Area Middle–High School. In 2016, enrollment was reported as 674 pupils in 9th through 12th grades, with 66% of pupils eligible for a free lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level. Additionally, 15% of pupils received special education services, while none of the pupils were identified as gifted. The school employed 41 teachers. Per the PA Department of Education, 5% of the teachers were rated "Non‐Highly Qualified" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
In 2013, enrollment was reported as 687 pupils in 9th through 12th grades, with 53% of pupils qualifying for the federal free or reduced-price lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level. Additionally, 14% of pupils received special education services, while 1% of pupils were identified as being gifted. The school employed 40 teachers. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 4% of the teachers were rated "Non‐Highly Qualified" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The school is a federally designated Title I school. The district does not offer its own cyber school program. The pupils may attend any of the 13 cyber schools operating in Pennsylvania in 2015, including locally operated SusQ Cyber Charter School. Shamokin Area High School students may choose to attend Northumberland County Career Technology Center for training in the trades.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2010 the school had 748 pupils in grades 9th through 12th, with 356 pupils qualifying for the federal free or reduced-price lunch due to family poverty. The school employed 42 teachers, yielding a student–teacher ratio of 17:1. According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 4 teachers were rated "Non‐Highly Qualified" under No Child Left Behind.
In 2015 and 2016, Shamkoin Area High School was unrecognized by US News and World report's nationwide high school ranking. In 2014, Shamokin Area High School was recognized by US News and World Report as a Bronze level high school in a nationwide school ranking. Among Pennsylvania high schools 56 achieved gold or silver medals. Another 103 high schools achieved bronze rating out of 698 Pennsylvania high schools reviewed. The school was also ranked Bronze level in 2012 and 2013.
;Opportunity Scholarship - lowest achieving schools
In 2016, Shamokin Area High School remained on the state's lowest academic achievement list. In May 2015, the Pennsylvania Department of Education released a report identifying one Shamokin Area School District school was among the lowest achieving schools for reading and mathematics in the state. Included on the list was Shamokin Area High School. One hundred four Pennsylvania public school districts had one or more schools on the list.
In October 2015, Pennsylvania Auditor General DiPasquale reported that two schools in the district are among the 561 academically challenged schools that have been overlooked by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Both Shamokin Area Intermediate School and Shamokin Area MIddle School were on the list of 561 poor performing schools in the Commonwealth. He reported the Pennsylvania Department of Education failed to take any action to remediate the schools to raise student academic achievement or to provide them with targeted professional assistance.

Graduation rate

In 2016, the district's graduation rate declined further to 81.82%.
;Former calculation graduation rate:
SPP was 71.8 out of 100 points.
Shamokin Area High School Keystone Exams mandated testing results were: 76% of students were on grade level in reading.literature and just 62% of students demonstrated on grade level in Algebra I. In Biology I, only 54% of pupils demonstrated on grade level science understanding at the end of the Biology course. The requirement that pupils pass the Keystone Exams in reading, algebra I and bIology I in order to graduate was postponed until 2019 by the Pennsylvania General Assembly because less than 60% of 12 grade pupils statewide would have been eligible for graduation from high school due to failing one or more Keystone Exams. Fifty-four percent of the 2,676 public schools in Pennsylvania achieved a passing score of 70 or better.

2015 School Performance Profile

Shamokin Area High School declined further to 51.1 out of 100. Reflects on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. The PDE reported that 63.33% of the High School's students were on grade level in reading/literature. In Algebra 1, just 61.8% of students showed on grade level skills at the end of the course. In Biology I, only 38% demonstrated on grade level science understanding at the end of the course. Statewide, 53 percent of schools with an eleventh grade achieved an academic score of 70 or better. Five percent of the 2,033 schools with 11th grade were scored at 90 and above; 20 percent were scored between 80 and 89; 28 percent between 70 and 79; 25 percent between 60 and 69 and 22 percent below 60. The Keystone Exam results showed: 73 percent of students statewide scored at grade-level in English, 64 percent in Algebra I and 59 percent in biology.

2014 School Performance Profile

Shamokin Area High School achieved 55 out of 100. Reflects on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. In reading/literature - only 53% were on grade level. In Algebra 1, just 62% showed on grade level skills. In Biology, 42.7% demonstrated on grade level science understanding at the end of the course. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2,134 of 2,947 Pennsylvania public schools, achieved an academic score of 70 or higher. Fifty-three percent of schools statewide received lower SPP scores compared with last year's, while 46 percent improved. A handful were unchanged.
Compared with last year, the percentage of schools that earned below 60 declined by nearly 1 percent per Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq. She reported that this is an indication that student achievement is improving as school resources are being used better.

2013 School Performance Profile

Shamokin Area High School achieved 58.8 out of 100. Reflects on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. In reading/literature - 64.23% were on grade level. In Algebra 1, 65% showed on grade level skills. In Biology, 41% showed on grade level science understanding. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2,181 public schools, achieved an academic score of 70 or higher. Pennsylvania 11th grade students no longer take the PSSAs. Instead, beginning in 2012, they take the Keystone Exams at the end of the associated course.

AYP status

In 2012, Shamokin Area High School declined to School Improvement I Adequate Yearly Progress status due to missing all of the eight academic metrics in reading and mathematics.
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the school administration was required to notify parents of the school's poor achievement outcomes and to offer the parent the opportunity to transfer to a successful school within the district. Additionally, Shamokin Area High School's administration was required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, to develop a School Improvement Plan to address the school's low student achievement. Under the Pennsylvania Accountability System, the school district must pay for additional tutoring for struggling students. Shamokin Area High School was eligible for special, extra funding under School Improvement Grants which the school must apply for each year.
s, 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. The goal was for 100% of students to be on grade level or better in reading and mathematics, by the Spring of 2014. The tests focused on the state's Academic Standards for reading, writing, mathematics and science. The Science exam included content in science, technology, ecology and the environmental studies. The mathematics exam included: algebra I, algebra II, geometry, and trigonometry. The standards were first published in 1998 and are mandated by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.
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.

11th Grade Mathematics

Science in MotionShamokin Area High School 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.Susquehanna University provided the scienceenrichment experiences to schools in the region.

College Remediation

In January 2009, higher education research was presented to the Pennsylvania State Board of Education. The research examined course enrollment trends at the state's 14 community colleges and the 14 institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The data, provided by PASSHE and the community colleges, showed that during the 2007–08 school year 19% of Shamokin Area High School graduates required costly remediation in math and/or reading before they could take regular college courses. This was the average remediation rate among the IU16 region's high schools. 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. 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.

SAT scores

In 2016, 71 Shamokin Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 457. The Math average score was 513. The Writing average score was 448. The College Board also reported that statewide 92,569 pupils took the exams with average scores declining again in all three measurers to: 494 in reading, 508 in math and 482 in writing. Among the 12 high schools in the CSIU16 region, Shamokin Area High School ranked last which was also below the state average. Nationally, 1,681,134 students took the SATs.
In 2015, 79 Shamokin Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 485. The Math average score was 481. The Writing average score was 439. The College Board also reported that statewide 96,826 pupils took the exams with average scores declining in all three measurers to: 495 in reading, 511 in math and 484 in writing.
In 2014, 92 Shamokin Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 466. The Math average score was 480. The Writing average score was 426. Statewide in Pennsylvania, Verbal Average Score was 497. The Math average score was 504. The Writing average score was 480. The College Board also reported that nationwide scores were: 497 in reading, 513 in math and 487 in writing.
In 2013, Shamokin Area School District students' Verbal Average Score was 451. The Math average score was 481. The Writing average score was 431. The College Board reported that statewide scores were: 494 in reading, 504 in math and 482 in writing. The nationwide SAT results were the same as in 2012.
In 2012, 103 Shamokin Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 463. The Math average score was 483. The Writing average score was 436. The statewide Verbal SAT exams results were: Verbal 491, Math 501, Writing 480. In the USA, 1.65 million students took the exams achieving scores: Verbal 496, Math 514, Writing 488. According to the College Board the maximum score on each section was 800, and 360 students nationwide scored a perfect 2,400.
In 2011, 99 Shamokin Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 456. The Math average score was 488. The Writing average score was 432. Pennsylvania ranked 40th among states with SAT scores: Verbal - 493, Math - 501, Writing - 479. In the United States 1.65 million students took the exam in 2011. They averaged 497 verbal, 514 math and 489 in writing.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education compared the SAT data of students in rural areas of Pennsylvania to students in urban areas. From 2003 to 2005, the average total SAT score for students in rural Pennsylvania was 992, while urban students averaged 1,006. During the same period, 28 percent of 11th and 12th graders in rural school districts took the exam, compared to 32 percent of urban students in the same grades. The average math and verbal scores were 495 and 497, respectively, for rural students, while urban test-takers averaged 499 and 507, respectively. Pennsylvania's SAT composite score ranked low on the national scale in 2004.The composite SAT score of 1,003 left Pennsylvania ranking 44 out of the 50 states and Washington, DC.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education reported that 71 percent of students in rural areas of Pennsylvania chose to continue their education after high school in 2003, whereas 79 percent of urban high school graduates opted to continue their education.

Dual enrollment

Shamokin 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, including the graduation ceremony. 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. Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions. For the 2009–10 funding year, the Shamokin Area School District received a state grant of $30,670 for the program. In 2010, Governor Edward Rendell eliminated the grants to students, from the Commonwealth, due to a state budget crisis.

Graduation requirements

Among Pennsylvania's 500 public school districts, graduation requirements widely vary. The Shamokin Area School Board has determined that a pupil must earn 24 credits to graduate, including: a required class every year in math, English, plus social studies 3 credits, science 3 credits, Physical Education 2 credits, health 0.5 credits, Arts/Humanities 2 credits, and electives.
By law, all Pennsylvania secondary school students were required to complete a project as a part of their eligibility to graduate from high school from 1998 to 2016. The type of project, its rigor and its expectations are set by the individual school district. Effective with the graduating class of 2017, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education eliminated the state mandate that students complete a culminating project in order to graduate.
By Pennsylvania School Board regulations, beginning with the class of 2019, public school students must demonstrate successful completion of secondary level course work in Algebra I, Biology, and English Literature by passing the Keystone Exams. The exam is given at the end of the course. Keystone Exams replace the PSSAs for 11th grade. Students have several opportunities to pass the exam. Those who do not pass after several attempts may perform a project in order to graduate. For the class of 2019, a Composition exam was to be added. For the class of 2020, passing a civics and government exam was to be added to the graduation requirements. In 2011, Pennsylvania high school students field tested the Algebra 1, Biology and English Lit Keystone Exams. The statewide results were: Algebra 1 38% on grade level, Biology 35% on grade level and English Lit - 49% on grade level. Individual student, school or district reports were not made public, although they were reported to district officials by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Students identified as having special needs and qualifying for an Individual Educational Program may graduate by meeting the requirements of their IEP.
In 2017, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed House Bill 202, which makes modifications of the Keystone Exam mandates for students who attend VoTech and Career Tech schools. These pupils will be allowed to use alternate assessments or industry-based certifications.

AP Courses

In 2013, Shamokin Area High School offered 7 Advanced Placement 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 a 3 or better 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. Most higher education give credits for scores of 4 or 5. Some schools also give credits for scores of 3. High schools give credits towards graduation to students who take the school's AP class. At Shamokin Area High School just 10% of students who took an AP course earned a 3 or better on the exam.
Students who live in the Shamokin Area School District's attendance area may choose to attend one of Pennsylvania's 157 public charter schools. A student living in a neighboring public school district or a foreign exchange student may seek admission to Shamokin Area School District. For these cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Education sets an annual tuition rate for each school district. It is the amount the public school district pays to a charter school for each resident student that attends the charter and it is the amount a nonresident student's parents must pay to attend the district's schools. The 2012 tuition rates are Elementary School - $7,180.20, Shamokin Area High School - $7,050.50. In 2015, the tuition rate for Shamokin Area High School was $7,718.37.

School safety and bullying

The School District administration reported there were two incidents of bullying in the High School in 2015. Additionally, there were multiple weapon violations and no sexual incidents involving students. The local law enforcement was involved in twenty-one incidents at the schools making 20 arrests.
The Shamokin Area School District administration reported there was one incident of bullying in the Shamokin Area High School in 2012. Additionally, the Administration reported no sexual incidents involving students. The local law enforcement was involved in eight incidents at the schools, with eight arrests. Each year the school safety data is reported by the district to the Safe School Center which then publishes the compiled reports online.
In May 2014, a teacher's aide at the school was arrested, charged with repeatedly having sex, in the school, with an 18-year-old student at the school.
In 2013, the Shamkoin Area School Board voted unanimously to place metal detectors in all three schools, including the high school. The metal detectors cost $16,400.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act established the Unsafe School Choice Option. 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. Shamokin Area School District schools have not been on the lists.
The Shamokin Area School Board has provided the district's anti-bully policy online. 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. 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.
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.

Safe School grant

In 2013, Shamokin Area School District was awarded $25,000 in a state Safe Schools Targeted Grant. The maximum of $25,000 grants were awarded through a competitive application process. The funds must be used for research based interventions, like: peer mediation, staff training in managing behavioral issues and creating a positive school climate.

School Resource Officer and Police Officer grant

In 2014, Pennsylvania began a grant program providing funding for programs to address school violence and security. Eligible schools and municipalities could apply for up to $60,000 for a school resource officer and up to $40,000 for a school police officer. Area School District applied and was awarded $39,344 to place an officer in the high school.

Grants

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 and paid for mandatory teacher training to optimize the computers' use in the classroom for improving instruction. The program was funded from 2006-2009. Shamokin Area School District administration did not apply for the grant in 2006-07. In 2007-08, Shamokin Area School District received $211,342 in funding. For the 2008-09, school year the High School received a final $45,413 for a total funding of $256,755 Of the 501 public school districts in Pennsylvania, 447 of them received Classrooms for the Future grant awards.

Carol M. White Physical Education Program grant

In Spring 2014, Shamokin Area School District was awarded a $537,167 federal US Department of Education grant for physical fitness. The funds will come to the district over three years. It will be used to purchase: rock climbing walls, treadmills and elliptical machines, new strength training machines, outdoor adventure equipment like intricate rope climbs and zip lines and a large video screen for interactive dance exercise program. A full-time project director to oversee the program will be paid using the grant funds. The Carol M. White Physical Education Program provides taxpayer funded grants to Local Education Agencies to initiate, expand, or enhance physical education programs, including after-school programs, for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Facilities

The middle/high school building houses grades 7 through 12. The building was constructed in 1973–1975.The multi-floor building houses a 1280-seat auditorium, a 3000-seat gymnasium, and a regulation pool with spectator seating.This building was renovated in 1995–1996 to provide additional classroom space to accommodate grades 7 and 8.The building's HVAC system was renovated in this project, and modifications were made to meet American Disabilities Act regulations.

Wellness policy

Shamokin Area School Board was mandated by the state and federal government to establish a district wellness policy in 2006. 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. The law dictates that each school district participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 "shall establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006."Most districts identified the superintendent and school foodservice director as responsible for ensuring local wellness policy implementation. The district reports that it is 50% compliant with the Academic Standards at the High School. Additionally, it reported the development and implementation of its Local Wellness Program.
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, districts were 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. The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.
Shamokin Area High School offers a free school breakfast and free or reduced-price lunch to children living 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. The meals are partially funded with federal dollars through the United States Department of Agriculture.
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. 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 costof the lunch.
Shamokin Area School District provides health services as mandated by the Commonwealth and the federal government. Nurses are available in each building to conduct annual health screenings 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. Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, high school students are mandated to receive a dose of MCV meningococcal conjugate vaccine for 12th grade entry. Nurses also monitor each child's weight. Nurses also monitor each child's weight.
In 2016, the Pennsylvania Department of Health made available to each Pennsylvania high school the overdose antidote drug naloxone in a nasal spray. School nurses were also provided with educational materials and training developed by the National Association of School Nurses. The cost was covered by a grant from a private foundation.

Highmark Healthy High 5 grant

In 2008, Shamokin Area High School received a grant through the Highmark Healthy High 5 grant program of the Highmark Foundation. 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.
The district also participated in Highmark Healthy High 5 Health eTools for Schools which enabled mobile data collection of pertinent health and physical fitness screening data on students K-12 in a database held by InnerLink, Inc. in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Health eTools for Schools also provided interdisciplinary research-based curriculum in nutrition, physical education and physical activity to participating districts. The program was discontinued in 2013.

Extracurriculars

Shamokin Area High School offers a variety of clubs, activities and an extensive, sports program. The district reports spending $630,068 for student activities in 2015, with $80,000 being generated from revenues. Eligibility for participation in extracurricular activities is determined by the school board and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I. The Shamokin Area School District is a member of the Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference. 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 aged students in the Shamokin Area School District, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, are eligible to participate in thedistrict's extracurricular programs, including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.
Shamokin Area High School has a student-run television program. SATV covers school events and sports broadcasting via the internet and a local cable television network. The school also operates a chapter of the National Honor Society.
According to PA Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting Act 126 of 2014, all volunteer 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.

Sports

Shamokin Area School District maintains an extensive outdoor athletic complex. Kemp Memorial Stadium is a large football and track complex with a seating capacity of 6000, with artificial turf and lighting for night games. The outdoor athletic complex also features practice fields, a lighted soccer stadium, and a baseball field that is dedicated to Douglas Dobson. The athletic facilities of the district are utilized not only by the home teams, but also by various league organizations for hosting playoff games and events. Weight room and athletic training facilities are located in the middle/high school.
The district is compliant with state law, by posting its Interscholastic Athletic Opportunities Disclosure Form on its website. 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. Coaches receive compensation as outlined in the teachers' union contract. When athletic competition exceeds the regular season, additional compensation is paid.
The district funds:
;Boys:
;Girls:
According to PIAA School Directory July 2017