Preparing for Success with Future Ready Pennsylvania Index

Hot off the press! As a part of Pennsylvania’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated State Plan, the state has created a brand-new, comprehensive, public-facing school progress report, the Future Ready PA Index.

As stated on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) website: “The Future Ready PA Index moves beyond a single, summative score to increase transparency around school and student group performance.” To learn more about what this means for you, check out the below resources, including webinars, printable information guides, and a summary of the new dashboard.

What is the Future Ready PA Index?

The proposed Future Ready PA Index will serve as Pennsylvania’s one-stop location for comprehensive information about school success and will use a dashboard model to highlight how schools are performing and making progress on multiple indicators. Check out a short video here.

The proposed dashboard approach to school reporting: 

• Increases emphasis on student growth measures, which incentivizes a focus on all learners and is less sensitive to demographic variables
• Measures English-language acquisition among ELL students, not simply performance on a test of grade level ELA standards
• Incentivizes career awareness instruction beginning at the elementary level
• Addresses the issue of unequal weighting of content areas in the current SPP
• Provides indicators of student success after graduation
• Increases the emphasis on student access to course offerings such as AP®, IB®, college credit, and CTE programs of study
• Allows LEAs to include locally selected reading assessments (grade 3) and math assessments (grade 7) as additional snapshots of student progress
• Incentivizes schools to offer career pathways that culminate with high-value, industry-recognized credentials

For a one-page overview created by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, download this pdf.

Please note, all of the above information is sourced directly from the Pennsylvania Department of Education website

What types of resources are available?

• Dashboard Overview
• Statewide Assessment Measure Summary
• Chronic Absenteeism and Early Indicators
• Webinars narrated by PDE’s Deputy Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Matt Stem
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JAgySvDUSk&feature=youtu.be
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVFSITLAHl0&feature=youtu.be
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPIWKVDkqII&feature=youtu.be

While the Future Ready PA Index is designed to provide clarity around specific indicators, any new measure of school or district performance can evoke a feeling of uncertainty. Our goal at Edmentum is to partner with you through this change and help ensure continuous school improvement.

If you’re interested in learning more about how your district can take advantage of the Future Ready option in selecting and evaluating alternative assessments, you can watch this 7-minute video here!

Did you know a recent study validated by Marzano Research shows that when students spend just 30 minutes a week practicing in our standards-based practice and test preparation program, Study Island, they achieve significant academic gains?

In support of the Future Ready PA Index, we encourage you to consider Study Island. Or if you’re already familiar with Study Island, consider expanding into a new subject or grade level. You can even start your FREE trial and learn more here about our programs offered in Pennsylvania!