LEWISTOWN — Strong results and a supportive school culture defined this year’s National Occupational Competency Testing Institute testing season at the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology in Lewistown, as students demonstrated both academic knowledge and real-world skills.

Before seniors stepped into the high-stakes performance portion of the exam, the Academy made sure they didn’t face it alone. A NOCTI Prep Rally brought staff and students together for a burst of energy, humor and encouragement — and gave instructors a chance to show they were willing to step into unfamiliar territory, too.

Some of the loudest cheers came when instructors went head to head in lighthearted, NOCTI-style challenges that had nothing to do with their fields. Automotive Technology instructor Travis Gilmore and Agriculture Sciences instructor Nicolette Cusate worked on hairstyles for mannequin heads, drawing laughter as students watched the welders trade torches for combs.

Other staff members jumped in as well. welding instructor Aaron Armstrong and Culinary Arts instructor Travis McCullough battled during a timed challenge, and Armstrong later faced off with Business Secretary Betsy Casner in a diaper-changing contest.

The rally’s highlight might have been Principal Mark Crosson and Academy Administrative Director Laura Hicks dueling with remote-controlled cars around the cafeteria, a moment that captured the spirit of the day — staff stepping in, loosening up and showing students they were all in this together.

The rally set the tone for a testing season that delivered strong results across the building.

NOCTI, a leading provider of industry credentials for career and technical education programs across the nation, serves as an important benchmark for student achievement at the Academy. This year’s results highlight both strong performance and continued growth across programs.

In the weeks leading up to the written exams, students worked diligently across all programs, preparing with a focus on both technical knowledge and applied skills. Their preparation paid off. Seventy-five percent of students scored at the Advanced or Competent level on the written portion of the NOCTI.

“Seventy-five percent of students scored advanced or competent on the written portion of the NOCTI, which is really good,” Crosson said.

Students performed even stronger on the hands-on portion of the exam. Seventy-eight percent of students scored Advanced or Competent in the performance assessment, reinforcing the school’s emphasis on applied learning.

“Seventy-eight percent of the building scored Advanced or Competent on the performance part, so our kids excelled on the hands-on portion,” Crosson added. “If you are going to excel at something at vocational school, that’s what we want them to excel at.”

When combining written and performance scores, 67 percent of students achieved Advanced or Competent overall. While slightly lower due to the averaging process, the figure still reflects a strong level of achievement across the building.

“For the entire building, 67 percent were either advanced or competent,” Crosson explained. “We had students who scored basic on the written and advanced on the performance — it takes an average of the two.”

Program-level data also demonstrated meaningful progress. Seven of the 12 programs scored higher than either the state average or the school’s historical performance, an encouraging sign of growth across multiple areas.

The Electrical Installations program had 12 students earn advanced written honors with Auto Mechanics and Cosmetology second at seven. With the Competent rating, Agriculture, Construction Trades and Health Professions each had five students rate in that category for written.

In Performance, Health Professions led the way with 15 students in Advanced, with Electrical Installations at 13 and Auto Mechanics at 12. Welding had seven students in the Competent category.

Overall, Electrical boasted 12 students in Advanced with Auto Mechanics second at seven. In Competent, Welding was first with seven and Health Professionals at five and Agriculture and Auto Mechanics, Cosmetology third at four each.

“Seven of the 12 programs were higher than either the state average or building history,” Crosson noted.

The data also showed improvement among instructors, particularly those newer to their roles. With several teachers moving from their first to second year, results reflected positive development and consistency.

“A comparative analysis between last year and this year, given the fact that we had multiple new instructors, we do see a marked improvement from first year to second year performance,” Crosson said. “Five of those scored higher than last year.”

The combination of strong performance and a supportive school culture continues to move the school forward.

“We are making very nice progress,” Crosson said. “Excited about where we are.”

With a clear focus on continuous improvement and data-driven instruction, the school remains committed to building on these results.

“Using data to drive instruction, happy and keep moving forward,” Crosson added.

At the Academy, the NOCTI exams are more than a measure of performance — they are an opportunity to demonstrate growth, skill and readiness for the future.

There’s no joking about those results.