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Brightbill Legislation Improving Accuracy of "State Report Card"
Passes Senate Unanimously
HARRISBURG -- Legislation
prime-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill (R-48th Senatorial
District) and designed to give parents a better ability to fairly evaluate the
performance of school districts in Pennsylvania was unanimously approved by the
state Senate today.
Senator Brightbill’s Senate
Bill 151 would add new information to the State Report Card, which is available
on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s web site, giving parents a more
accurate snapshot of the performance of their children’s schools.
“The State Report Card is a
great tool to help parents take an active roll in their children’s education,”
said Sen. Brightbill. “But the current structure doesn’t always provide
accurate information. It’s not fair to judge a school based on the performance
of students who haven’t been educated in the district for at least two years.”
Senate Bill 151 would require
the state to adjust the State Report Card to account for the number of students
who have been in a district for less than two years, the number of students
classified as “limited English proficient,” and other factors. The current
Report Card structure is particularly unfair to districts located in third-class
cities such as Lebanon, Reading, Lancaster and Harrisburg.
The Pennsylvania League of
Urban Schools has endorsed the legislation. Dr. Anthony A. Georeno, president
of the league, called Senate Bill 151 “a common-sense approach to a complex
problem.”
Senate Bill 151 now moves to
the House for consideration.
 
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