Philly School District Recognizes Top Performers

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There were honors Monday for those schools that showed the most improvement on the School District of Philadelphia's scorecard.

A ceremony at Potter-Thomas Elementary School in North Philadelphia recognized 22 of Philadelphia's 300 schools for scoring high on the School Progress Report, which measures test scores, growth and school climate.

Potter-Thomas was singled out as showing a 32 percent improvement over the year before. That's the highest gain in the district's Turnaround Network -- 19 poorly-performing schools getting extra resources. Principal Dywonne Davis-Harris says that has meant extra literacy and math, and adding an assistant principal.

"It helps me to really focus on coaching teachers," Davis-Harris said. "I can become an instructional leader and not have to deal with all of the disciplinary issues."

District-wide, a little more than half of schools saw an increase in their SPR scores.

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