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Pennsylvania Department of Education Provides a New, Clearer System of Reporting PSSA, AYP Results
Pennsylvania Department of Education Introduces New, Clearer System of Reporting PSSA, AYP Results
Tuesday May 25, 3:20 pm ET HARRISBURG, Pa., May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- PA Secretary of Education Vicki L. Phillips today introduced a reporting system that will help parents and educators gain a new understanding of the annual PSSA and Adequate Yearly Progress reports. "A system like this becomes invaluable in a time of new federal requirements as well as our own emphasis on creating a useful body of student performance data," Secretary Phillips said. "Everyone will be able to see exactly how a student, school or district is performing. Comprehensive reports in the past have been an afterthought but we believe they are an integral part of the educational process." Using a system created by PDE employees and several outside data firms, the new accountability and assessment reports will be available in printed form and on the department Web site. These reports are part of an ongoing process by the PDE to collect data to build a collection of tools for the PDE, districts and parents that creates an accurate picture of the state of education in Pennsylvania and how it needs to improve. "We need to know where we are if we are going to make any improvements," said Carina Wong, director of the PDE's division of Assessment and Accountability. "There is too much data collected to be unveiled in large pieces. We have to present data in a way that shows how it relates to a bigger picture and also where and how positive changes must be made." Grow Network, of New York, has been working closely with PDE to create the reports. Grow was initially contacted by officials in the Ridge-Schweiker administration to work on the project. Secretary Phillips initiated a bid process and Grow was chosen to create the reports. "From the reports they've produced in Chicago and New York, it was clear they had the expertise to provide the reports we needed," said Wong. In addition to the reporting and charting of assessment results, the reports include listings of resources for any deficiencies shown by the student. The reports will be used to show the results from the annual PSSA assessments as well as the AYP requirement of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The reports are scheduled for public release in mid-August, after review by school districts. "Having lots of data is not very helpful unless it is available in understandable and useable forms," said Stinson Stroup, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. "The reports work and make the data work." CONTACT: Keith Pierce, Penn. DOE 717-783-9802 |