Standards Web

What is the PSSA? Current PSSA Scores Current Courses Best Practices Goals Results

Goals

Meeting Annual Yearly Progress (AYP)

The following information on state mandated goals is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and is available at:

http://www.pde.state.pa.us/pas/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=94804&pasNav=|6139|&pasNav=|6325|

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.  
How are schools measured?

Schools are evaluated on achievement using the 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. Using 2001-2002 data as the starting point, Pennsylvania established the following AYP targets for 2005-2007:
bullet54% of students proficient or above in reading
bullet45% of students proficient or above in math
bullet95% student participation in the PSSA
bullet90% or improvement in attendance/80% or improvement in graduation
 
These expectations apply not only to the school or district as a whole, but also to the performance of subgroups, including racial/ethnic categories, low-income students, students with disabilities, and English Language Learners.
 
Will these targets change?

Yes. School and district targets will gradually become higher:
 
READING:
bullet2005-2007 – 54%
bullet2008-2010 – 63%
bullet2011 – 72%
bullet2012 – 81%
bullet2013 – 91%
bullet2014 – 100%
MATH:
bullet2005-2007 – 45%
bullet2008-2010 – 56%
bullet2011 – 67%
bullet2012 – 78%
bullet2013 – 89%
bullet2014 – 100%