Centennial Exceeding Pre-Pandemic Math Levels

WARMINSTER TOWNSHIP, PA — Before Centennial Schools Superintendent Dana Bedden departed, he outlined "strong" preliminary 2024-25 academic Achievement and growth, in which the district was now exceeding pre-pandemic math levels.

The data, recently presented to the Warminster Township School Board by Bedden, showcases a "robust academic recovery and impressive gains," particularly in mathematics since the COVID-19 pandemic, school officials said.

The data highlights the success of the district’s "Evidence-Based Systems Approach" and consistent curriculum implementation, school officials said.

Strong Recovery and Growth Across the Board

While the pandemic caused significant drops in PSSA scores in 2021, CSD's strategic response has led to these improvements:

PSSA Mathematics achievement for grades 3-8 demonstrated a "strong, consistent recovery and growth trajectory," increasing by 16.8 percent from 2021 to 2025, Bedden said.

At 44.8 percent proficiency in 2025, overall mathematics achievement now exceeds pre-pandemic levels (40.3 percent in 2019) and has the highest scores since 2015.

The superintendent said that most individual grades are also above their 2019 levels, with Grade 4 Math showing a 25.4 percent increase from 2021.

School officials said the success is directly linked to 3-5 years of consistently implementing aligned curriculum, such as Eureka Math K-5 and CPM Math for Grades 6-10.

While overall ELA achievement remains below pre-pandemic levels, there was a 2.6 percent increase over last year, and significant gains have been made, particularly in the upper grades, Bedden said.

Grade 7 ELA shows a 6.1 percent increase from 2021 to 2025, now exceeding its 2019 level.

Grade 8 ELA has a 10.4 percent increase from 2021 to 2025, is above its 2019 level, and has achieved its highest achievement since 2015, school officials said.

These successes are attributed to the consistent implementation in 2020 of aligned curricula like SpringBoard for ELA in these grades. The district acknowledges that continued "time and consistency" are needed for lower elementary ELA achievement to continue to rise.

A Systemic Approach to Success

The Centennial School District attributes the progress to its "Evidence-Based Systems Approach," which emphasizes that "no single program or isolated reform can substitute for a coherent, long-term, systems-wide approach to improving teaching and learning."

Key foundations of this approach include:

• Clear goals for teaching and learning.
• Aligned curriculum, instruction, assessments, and systems.
• Well-supported teachers.
• A positive school learning environment.
• Effective use of data to make decisions.

"Our 2024-25 preliminary data clearly demonstrates that our 'Evidence-Based Supports’ are working," Bedden said. "We are incredibly proud of our students' resilience and the dedication of our educators. The consistent implementation of aligned curriculum over the past 3-5 years has been a critical factor in recovering from the pandemic's impact and exceeding pre-pandemic achievement levels in key areas, particularly mathematics."