In the annual assessment, each school receives a score up to 100 based on standardized testing, student improvement over the previous year, graduation rates, and other factors. A few outstanding schools can achieve scores above 100 with the help of "extra credit."
The scores are available online at www.paschoolperformance.org.
In a conference call Thursday, Matt Stem, deputy secretary for elementary and secondary education, stressed that the scores primarily reflect the results of the 2016 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) for elementary and middle schools and the Keystone exams for high schools.
Begun in 2012, the performance profiles were suspended last year after the state Education Department adjusted the content of the PSSAs to align with changes in the Pennsylvania Core Curriculum, allowing students and teachers to adjust to the new material.
While some schools and parents might be shocked to find lower profile scores than they expected, state officials say the ratings can't be measured against previous years because of those PSSA changes.
In previous years, education officials said a score below 70 was considered failing, but this year they declined to define a passing grade.
Since the inception of the school "snapshot," Pennsylvania's top scorers have come from the Philadelphia suburbs.
This year for the first time, the performance profile score for elementary and middle schools measures how well schools are closing the achievement gap. That measure already exists for high schools.
Stem said the information will show "the gap toward proficiency for all students and historically underperforming students" - those who are economically disadvantaged, in special education, or English language learners.
In the coming weeks, he said, the state will release more data for students based on race.
©2016 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
