The Pennsylvania Accountability System applies to all public schools and districts. It is based upon the State’s content and achievement standards, valid and reliable measures of academic achievement, and other key indicators of school and district performance such as attendance and graduation rates. The Pennsylvania Accountability System meets the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation and has the same end goal - having every child in the Commonwealth proficient or above in reading and mathematics by the year 2014.
Schools are evaluated on a minimum target level of improvement called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). A key additional feature of the Pennsylvania Accountability System is that it allows both a school’s absolute level of achievement (the proportion of students who score at or above the proficient level), and a school’s growth in achievement from one year to the next to be recognized.
Schools are evaluated on achievement using the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), participation in those tests, and on attendance (at the elementary/middle school level) and graduation rate (at the high school level). These measurements make up a school’s Adequate Yearly Progress, commonly known as AYP.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has established the following targets as it relates to academic performance:
2008 - 2009
63% of students proficient or above in reading
56% of students proficient or above in math
95% student participation in the PSSA
90% or improvement in attendance
2009 - 2010
63% of students proficient or above in reading
56% of students proficient or above in math
95% student participation in the PSSA
90% or improvement in attendance
2010 - 2011
72% of students proficient or above in reading
67% of students proficient or above in math
95% student participation in the PSSA
90% or improvement in attendance
Bear Creek Community Charter School Student Performance on PSSA Exams
