In an article today describing the state’s transition to a shorter time period for administering the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) there was passage noting that Pennsylvania will begin next year using something called the Future Ready PA Index and will phase out the School Performance Profile.
In two 2015 Policy Briefs we noted the problems with the Profile and its method of assigning scores to districts (here and here). In the latter piece we suggested it was time to revamp or end the Profile. “A performance profile should measure performance, not ancillary factors” is what we noted when looking at the components of the Profile. Though advocates that have been quoted on the design of the Index compared to the Profile seem to be in favor of it, whether it will prove to be a better measurement will be shown in time. This presentation from January details the history of the Profile and the components of the Index.
