HARRISBURG, PA — On Monday, the Pennsylvania House Education Committee convened an informational meeting to examine student success and school performance measures as outlined in the Future Ready PA Index. The meeting provided an opportunity to assess the 2023-24 academic results and review post-pandemic progress.
“Today, we got to take a closer look at the system which measures how schools across Pennsylvania are performing academically and how children are progressing throughout their education,” said Representative Peter Schweyer, who chaired the meeting. He also extended gratitude to the testifiers, including school superintendents and parents, for sharing their perspectives on student measurement and success.
The session featured testimony from diverse stakeholders, including representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, the Education Law Center, as well as school district officials and parents. Among the findings discussed, Deputy Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Dr. Carrie Rowe highlighted moderate year-over-year improvements in State Assessment proficiency rates since the 2020-21 school year, stating, “While we have not reached the thresholds from pre-pandemic school years, since the close of the pandemic in the 2020-21 school year, all State Assessment proficiency rates in Reading, Math and Science have increased modestly year over year.”
The discussion also touched on the impact of historic education investments implemented in the 2024-25 school year. Schweyer noted, “It is important to note that the latest results in the Future Ready PA Index are for the 2023-24 school year and do not yet show the impacts [of] last year’s historic education investments.”
Maura McInerney, Legal Director of the Education Law Center, underscored how additional funding has positively affected schools. “Some districts have reopened their school libraries, developed curriculum, hired more teachers to reduce classroom sizes, and many districts which did not offer a full-day kindergarten are now able to afford to do so,” she said.
The Future Ready PA Index, in place since 2018, evaluates student outcomes across three categories: academic performance, student progress, and college and career readiness.
This meeting provided a critical opportunity to analyze progress amid changing educational conditions. Looking forward, it highlighted the importance of continued investment and collaboration among educators, policymakers, and parents to support Pennsylvania’s students and ensure their success.
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