Goals and Guardrails

Our Vision

To prepare students to imagine and realize any future they desire.

Our Mission

All sectors of public education in Philadelphia will work with urgency to provide every student with the opportunity to achieve positive life outcomes in partnership with diverse families, educators, and community members who are valued and respected.

Our Goals

Reading

Reading Goal: Every student reads on or above grade level.

Goal 1: 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 Indicator 1.1: The percentage of students in grades 3-8 who are At Target on the District’s within-year reading assessment.
  • Leading Indicator 1.2: The percentage of students in grades 3-8 with high growth on the District’s within-year reading assessment.

Goal 2: 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 Indicator 2.1: The percentage of students in grade 3 who are At Target on the District’s within-year reading assessment.
  • Leading Indicator 2.2: The percentage of students in grades K-2 who are At Target on the District’s required reading Curriculum-Based Measures.

Math

Math Goal: Every student performs on or above grade level in math.

Goal 3: 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 Indicator 3.1: The percentage of students in grades 3-8 who are At Target on the District’s within-year math assessment.
  • Leading Indicator 3.2: The percentage of students in grades 3-8 with high growth on the District’s within-year math assessment.
  • Leading Indicator 3.3: The percentage of students in grades K-2 who are At Target on the District’s required math Curriculum-Based Measures.

College & Career

College & Career Goal: Every student graduates ready for college and careers.

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

Goal 5: 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 Indicator 5.1: The percentage of eligible students who take and pass the NOCTI.
  • Leading Indicator 5.2: The percentage of CTE students who have a documented job placement and/or postsecondary opportunity.

Our Guardrails

Guardrail 1

Welcoming and Supportive 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.

  • Indicator 1.1: The percentage of school-based positions filled each year by October by employees with standard credentials in the 50 lowest performing schools.
  • Indicator 1.2: The average completion time for Work Orders specific to restrooms and hydration stations.

Guardrail 2

Enriching and Well-rounded School Experiences

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

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

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

  • Indicator 4.1(a): The percentage of 5th and 8th grade students who are qualified to attend Criteria based Schools, by student group.
  • Indicator 4.1(b): The percentage of qualified 5th and 8th grade students who applied and attend Criteria Based Schools, by student group.
  • Indicator 4.2: The number of K-8 schools offering Algebra and World Languages.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will the District/Board be held accountable to achieve these Goals & Guardrails?

  • The District is setting incremental targets for achieving each Goal & Guardrail that must be met each year for the next five years and is responsible for monitoring progress toward achieving them.
  • The District is also responsible for creating strategies or next steps when Goals & Guardrails are not being achieved.
  • The Board is responsible for monitoring progress toward achieving the Goals & Guardrails every month.

How will these Goals & Guardrails be monitored?

  • The School District has developed leading indicators for each Goal & Guardrail that will indicate progress over a five-year period.
  • Each month the District will update the Board and present Progress Monitoring Reports that will include:
    • Comparative data for on-track, near-track and off-track groups
    • An evaluation of performance with documentation
    • Where the District is off track, the Progress Monitoring Report will include next steps for improving performance

How will the budget be guided by these Goals and Guardrails?

Once the Goals and Guardrails are adopted, they become the framework by which we will hold the District accountable. This means that the Board will expect the Superintendent to bring forward a budget that is aligned with the priorities that we have set in our Goals and Guardrails.

How will the Board of Education fund the Goals & Guardrails initiative?

Adequate funding is an issue for the School District of Philadelphia. We do need funding, and we hope to convey to our funding sources (the city and the state) how important this work around Goals & Guardrails is and what a positive impact it will have on student achievement.

  • Recently, the University of Pennsylvania pledged $100 million to the School District over ten years to remediate environmental hazards, including asbestos and lead. This funding will directly support Guardrail #1 to have schools that are safe, clean and welcoming environments. So this donation is an excellent example of a funding source that directly supports our Goals & Guardrails initiative.

Why is the Board relying on standardized testing to measure achievement?

We believe it is important for us and parents to have ways to know and understand what our students know and are able to do. Additionally, we believe that parents should have information on how their child’s school compares with other schools.

In order to collect this information, we need objective measures that will help us understand what changes we need to make to support student learning.

  • The assessment is not intended to measure student potential or success.
    Using standardized testing is an objective way to monitor the school district’s progress;
  • Standardized testing is uniform for all students and it is taken by all students across the District;
  • Standardized testing focuses on the basic skills that all students need to master; and
  • The Pennsylvania Department of Education uses the same testing to determine if we are serving our students.

How can people support this work and what is their role?

  • Parents and PTA’s/SAC’s can be informed and share information about Goals & Guardrails with their neighbors and networks and follow the progress and monitoring of Goals & Guardrails for the next 5 years.
  • Parents and guardians are encouraged to be partners in their child’s school community.
  • District leaders, school principals and teachers can develop strategies that support Goals & Guardrails.

What do these goals and guardrails mean for charter schools in Philadelphia?

Charter schools have their own governing boards that establish the specific goals for each individual character school. However, as the authorizer of Philadelphia charter schools, the Board believes that these Goals & Guardrails express the conditions and outcomes that must be present in every school, district or charter operated, in order to educate its students. The Board will bring this lens to its work authorizing charter schools and cares that all public schools are appropriately serving Philadelphia students.