The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires each district to survey exiting seniors about their intentions after high school—specifically, whether students plan to obtain additional education, secure employment, or pursue other activities. This graduate follow-up survey asked Career and Technical Education (CTE) students from the class of 2021 about their experiences after graduation.
This report describes the framework that guided survey development, the administration of the surveys, the processes of survey reliability testing and validation, and the construction of school-level scores for reports. This version reflects new updates from the 2021-22 District-Wide Survey administration.
Beginning with the class of 2023, Pennsylvania high school students will need to demonstrate career or postsecondary preparedness to meet statewide graduation requirements and receive a diploma. This Philadelphia Education Research Consortium (PERC) publication examines Pennsylvania’s new graduation requirements (Act 158), including the results of an analysis using historical District data to explore potential impacts for school communities.
Eating breakfast has a positive association with students’ academic outcomes and attendance. Universal school breakfast programs can mitigate food insecurity of families whose students are in the public school system, but low participation rates pose implementation challenges for schools and districts trying to meet the needs of their students. This report evaluates the determinants of implementing two different school breakfast programs and pragmatic strategies for serving breakfast in ways that maximize student participation.
In the 2021-22 school year, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) transitioned to Star Assessments as the District-wide universal screener for reading and math for all students in grades K-12. Star Assessments can be organized into two categories: computer-adaptive tests (CATs) and curriculum-based measures (CBMs). Star Reading CBMs are administered to students in grades K-5. This report examines student participation in and performance on Star Reading CBM assessments in the four testing windows during the 2021-22 school year.
In the 2021-22 school year, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) transitioned to Star Assessments as the District-wide universal screener for reading and math for all students in grades K-12. Star Assessments can be organized into two categories: computer-adaptive tests (CATs) and curriculum-based measures (CBMs). Star Math CBMs are administered to students in grades K-3. This report examines student participation in and performance on Star Math CBM assessments in the four testing windows during the 2021-22 school year.
In the summer of 2021, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) redesigned 133 pre-kindergarten to third-grade classrooms into interactive learning environments. Physical renovations and classroom set-ups were completed by the start of the 2021-22 school year. This was the fifth cohort of classrooms to receive renovations and accompanying professional development sessions and materials. This report uses teacher survey data to evaluate teacher satisfaction with the project and perceived benefits to instructional practices and student outcomes.
In spring 2021, new questions related to the topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) were added to the District-Wide Surveys. This is the second report exploring these survey responses from 2020-21.
Academic Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT) is a family engagement program aimed at strengthening family-school partnerships. During meetings held three times a year, teachers share student data, guide data-driven conversations, and provide parents/guardians with timely information and academic resources to support student learning. In this research brief, we looked at implementation of APTT at six schools during the 2021-22 school year.
This report and the accompanying addendum examine fall 2021 Star Reading and Math assessment performance for SDP students who attended 2021 summer programming compared to a matched sample of students who did not attend summer programming.