Proficiency by 10

The Goal: 100-Percent Proficiency in Reading and Math by 2010

In 2000, The Allegheny Conference on Community Development set a goal that every 10-year old in the Pittsburgh region be proficient in reading and math by the year 2010. Prompted by poor student test scores and lack of accountability, the goal was established to promote education quality and to prepare a skilled regional workforce. Since then, the Conference and its affiliate, the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania, have released an annual report on progress by fifth-graders across the region in math and reading.

The “Proficiency by 10” goal predated the federal 2002 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which mandated school accountability for student performance with a goal of 100 percent proficiency by 2014 and the requirement informs our approach going forward. NCLB is in the process of being considered by Congress for reauthorization, but it has not been amended or reauthorized as of this annual report.

“Proficiency by 10” Annual Report on Fifth-Grade Proficiency in Reading and Mathematics in Southwestern Pennsylvania from 2002 to 2007

The 2007 annual “Proficiency by 10” report (PDF file) provides an overview of school and student performance in math and reading in the Pittsburgh region over the last six years. The report also includes results for each of the region’s schools that indicate how well fifth-grade students are doing at reading and math, based on the fifth grade Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) scores. Some of the trends reflected in the report include that:

• Fifth-graders in southwestern Pennsylvania are consistently outperforming their statewide peers. They scored four percentage points higher than the state as a whole in both math and reading.

• Some demographic subgroups—such as students with disabilities, low-income students, and African-American students—still face achievement gaps.

• Test scores in mathematics have consistently improved since 2002, but reading scores have remained relatively flat over the same period.

Additional Information on School Performance

Comprehensive information about school test scores can also be found on Standard and Poor’s school performance website, www.schoolmatters.com. This website gives searchable school performance information for all public schools in the United States from elementary through high school. This website is also an excellent source of information, beyond test scores, about schools and school districts.