Goals and Guardrails

In 2020-21, the School District of Philadelphia’s Board of Education established Goals and Guardrails that outline what our students must know and be able to accomplish, and describe conditions needed in each school to empower all students to succeed in and beyond the classroom.

The Progress Monitoring process ensures that the Board of Education and all members of the community can see the impacts of these efforts. Each Goal will be publicly monitored at regular intervals throughout the year, and each Guardrail will be publicly reported on once a year at Board meetings.

2023-24 Overview
Goals
Guardrails
Progress Monitoring Calendar
Frequently Asked Questions

Goals

In April 2024, the Board of Education approved a new timeline and adjusted baselines and targets, which are reflected below. To view the previous timeline and targets, see this summary document from August 2023.

Goal 1: Reading

The percentage of students in grades 3-8 who are proficient on the state ELA assessment will grow from 34.0% in August 2023 to 65.0% by August 2030.

Leading Indicators

Updated August 2023

1.1: The percentage of students in grades 3-8 who are At Target on the District’s within-year reading assessment.

1.2: The percentage of students in grades 3-8 with high growth on the District’s within-year reading assessment.

Goal 2: Reading

The percentage of 3rd grade students who are proficient on the state ELA assessment will grow from 31.0% in August 2023 to 62.0% by August 2030.

Leading Indicators

Updated August 2023

2.1: The percentage of students in grade 3 who are At Target on the District’s within-year reading assessment.

2.2: The percentage of students in grades K-2 who are At Target on the District’s required reading Curriculum-Based Measures.

Goal 3: Math

The percentage of students in grades 3-8 who are proficient on the state Math assessment will grow from 20.7% in August 2023 to 52.0% by August 2030.

Leading Indicators

Updated August 2023

3.1: The percentage of students in grades 3-8 who are At Target on the District’s within-year math assessment.

3.2: The percentage of students in grades 3-8 with high growth on the District’s within-year math assessment.

3.3: The percentage of students in grades K-2 who are At Target on the District’s required math Curriculum-Based Measures.

Goal 4: College & Career

Goal 4a: The percentage of students who are proficient on the state Literature high school assessment by the end of their 11th grade year will grow from 53.9% in August 2023 to 71.0% by August 2030.

Goal 4b: The percentage of students who are proficient on the state Algebra high school assessment by the end of their 11th grade year will grow from 30.1% in August 2023 to 53.0% by August 2030.

Goal 4c: The percentage of students who are proficient on the state Biology high school assessment by the end of their 11th grade year will grow from 31.4% in August 2023 to 54.0% by August 2030.

Leading Indicators

Updated August 2023

4.1: The percentage of students who are proficient on all three state high school assessments (Algebra, Literature, Biology) by the end of their 10th grade year.

4.2: The percentage of first-time 9th grade students who are meeting the District’s 9th Grade Firmly On-Track metric.

Goal 5: College & Career

The percentage of Career and Technical Education (CTE) students who pass an industry standards-based competency assessment by the end of their 12th grade year will grow from 49.1% in August 2023 to 80.0% in August 2030.

Leading Indicators

Updated August 2023

5.1: The percentage of eligible students who take and pass the NOCTI.

5.2: The percentage of CTE students who have a documented job placement and/or postsecondary opportunity.

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Guardrails

Guardrail 1: Safe and Welcoming Schools

Every school will be a safe, welcoming, and healthy place where our students, staff, and community want to be and learn each day.

This means that our schools will be: 1) environmentally safe and clean; and 2) spaces with inclusive climates that provide students with access to robust social, emotional, and mental health supports.

Leading Indicators

Updated August 2023

1.1: The percentage of school-based positions filled each year by October by employees with standard credentials in the 50 lowest performing schools.

1.2: The average completion time for Work Orders specific to restrooms and hydration stations.

Guardrail 2: Enriching and Well-Rounded Experiences

Every student will have a well-rounded education with co-curricular opportunities, including arts and athletics, integrated into the school experience.

Leading Indicators

Updated August 2023

2.1: The percentage of K-12 students enrolled in a visual or performing arts course at each school.

2.2: The percentage of K-12 students participating in co-curricular activities, including athletics, at each school.

Guardrail 3: Partnering with Parents & Family Members

Every parent and guardian will be welcomed and encouraged to be partners in their child’s school community.

Leading Indicators

Updated August 2023

3.1: The number of school-sponsored community events held at each school.

3.2: The percentage of staff trained to use language access services.

Guardrail 4: Addressing Racist Practices

Our students’ potential will not be limited by practices that perpetuate systemic racism and hinder student achievement.

Leading Indicators

Updated August 2023

4.1 (a): The percentage of 4th and 8th grade students who are qualified to attend criteria-based schools, by student group.

4.1 (b): The percentage of qualified 4th and 8th grade students who applied and attend criteria-based schools, by student group.

4.2: The number of K-8 schools offering Algebra and World Languages.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are Leading Indicators?

SDP has developed research-based leading indicators for each Goal and Guardrail that will indicate progress through 2030. These will be included in monthly Progress Monitoring reports presented to the Board, and they will also be included in the District’s annual accountability framework, the School Progress Report for Equity and Education (SPREE).

What is the Board's approach to Progress Monitoring?

Decision-making will center around four lines of inquiry:

  • Who? Are we progressing toward the goals as expected? Which schools are on-track? Which are near-track? Which are off-track?
  • What? Which circumstances surrounded the data for struggling and excelling students?
  • Why? Which events, decisions, or activities help describe what happened?
  • How? Which changes will the Leadership Team make based on the data?

How does the Office of Evaluation, Research, and Accountability (ERA) support the Goals and Guardrails?

ERA supports the Goals by collecting data on Leading Indicators, including the percentage of students reading on grade level, the percentage of students performing on grade level in math, graduation rates, matriculation rates, and the percentage of English learners meeting or exceeding their individual progress goals. This information is compiled in the annual Accountability Framework, a tool used to track school- and District-level progress, and it is also available on our School Profiles, an interactive dashboard designed to increase the public accessibility of the data.

ERA supports the Guardrails by including measures of equity in growth by student group on the annual Accountability Framework. We also administer the Philly School Experience Survey (PSES), which gathers feedback from students, teachers, principals, and parents/guardians about key topics related to school improvement, including climate (Guardrails 1 and 2) and family engagement (Guardrail 3). We are also committed to examining issues of equity and anti-racism in our reports and briefs, which provide timely and actionable analyses of school- and District-level data.

Where can the public access more information about schools and Leading Indicators?

Our Open Data project includes longitudinal data sets spanning various school and student performance areas.

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