Pennsylvania Department of Education’s New School Improvement Designations Strengthen Work Underway in Philadelphia’s Public Schools

PHILADELPHIA — The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) today released its list of schools that qualify for additional support under the state’s new school accountability framework.

The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) has 43 schools identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) and 17 schools identified for Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (A-TSI). CSI and A-TSI schools will receive targeted support and/or support from a school improvement team specializing in the subject areas identified for improvement.

Under PDE’s new accountability framework, SDP has fewer schools identified for support than were previously identified by the state. Under the previous Priority and Focus designations, SDP schools accounted for 42 percent of schools identified for additional support across the state. Under the new CSI and A-TSI designations, which include more schools statewide, SDP schools account for only 21 percent of identified schools.

“I’m pleased that the state continues to improve the tools it uses to share school performance information with the public and identify how to best support schools across Pennsylvania.” said Dr. William R. Hite, Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia. “PDE’s new school designations will provide funding and supports to strengthen the work we’re doing and will help accelerate the progress our students and schools are making.”

The District’s increasing graduation rates were also reflected in the new school designations. No SDP high school was designated CSI based on graduation rate alone.

“The state’s changes to the way that it supports schools reflect what we’ve been focused on here at Benjamin Franklin High School,” said Principal Christine Borelli. “We know that helping every student achieve at high levels requires targeted and individual support. Additional focus on the students who need support will help ensure that all of our students can succeed academically.”

Pennsylvania released its new accountability framework as part of the Every Child Succeeds Act (ESSA) that President Barack Obama signed into law in 2015. Similar to Philadelphia’s School Progress Report (SPR), the state’s new framework relies less on standardized tests and instead focuses more on ensuring that all students can succeed.

SDP Schools designated for CSI and A-TSI Support

CSI Designation:

Amy @ James Martin
Bache – Martin School
John Bartram High School
Building 21
Joseph W Catherine School
Roberto Clemente Middle School
Benjamin B Comegys School
Anna B Day School
Murrell Dobbins High School
Thomas Edison High School
Samuel Fels High School
Edwin Forrest School
Frankford High School
Benjamin Franklin High School
Horace Furness High School
Avery D Harrington School
Edward Heston School
Kensington CPA
Kensington Health Science
Kensington High School
Martin Luther King High School
Lincoln High School
Jules Mastbaum AVT High School
William McKinley School
Austin Meehan Middle School
Overbrook High School
Parkway Northwest High School
Philip Randolph High School
E. Washington Rhodes School
Roxborough High School
William L Sayre High School
School of the Future
South Philadelphia High School
Edward Steel School
Strawberry Mansion High School
The Linc
Philadelphia Virtual Academy
The U School
The Workshop School
Gen. Louis Wagner School
George Washington High School
Grover Washington Jr School
West Philadelphia High School

A-TSI:

Add B. Anderson School
Eleanor C Emlen Elementary School
Franklin S Edmonds School
Warren G Harding Middle School
Juniata Park Academy
Mayfair School
Motivation High School
Northeast High School
Penn Treaty School
Penrose School
Richmond School
Theodore Roosevelt Middle School
Walter B Saul High School
Spring Garden School
James J Sullivan School
Swenson Arts and Technology High School
William H Ziegler School