House Education Committee holds informational meeting on academic performance, student progress
Rep. Peter G. Schweyer February 2, 2026 | 12:39 PM
HARRISBURG, Feb. 2 – The Pennsylvania House Education Committee convened an informational meeting today to discuss the most recent academic results, school progress and student success measures from the Future Ready PA Index.
“Today, we got to take a closer look at the system which assesses the academic performance of Pennsylvania schools and the latest results on how our children are progressing throughout their education,” said state Rep. Peter Schweyer, Majority Chair of the House Education Committee. “I want to thank all of the testifiers who participated in today’s discussion for providing key insight into student performance and addressing challenges schools continue to face.”
The discussion featured testifiers from the Pennsylvania Dept. of Education, the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators as well as additional perspectives from education advocates.
“Since the 2020-21 school year, state assessment proficiency rates in math and science have increased modestly year over year. While we have not reached pre-pandemic levels, these gains are consistent with gains seen by other states. Graduation rates have increased continually and surpassed pre-pandemic levels. English language growth and attainment increased for the second consecutive year. Career readiness remains stable above 91% and regular attendance increased for two consecutive years in Pennsylvania, while decreasing nationally since 2023,” said Amy Lena, Deputy Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education, Pennsylvania Dept. of Education.
“As schools lean into establishing more effective and innovative instructional practices and structures to meet the needs of today’s students, there is a growing disconnect between classroom practice and the current state assessment and accountability system. Too often, the current state accountability measures misrepresent the work being done in our schools – the quality, the complexity, and the outcomes that matter most to families, communities and state leaders,” said Dr. Sherri Smith, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.
Added Schweyer, “It is important to note these latest results of the Future Ready PA Index are the first results following the historic change in education funding that was first begun in the 2024 state budget, and while it is still too early to see the monumental changes expected through this multi-year funding plan, we are starting to see positive trends moving in the right direction.”
The Future Ready PA Index has been utilized since 2018 to measure student success under three categories: academic performance, student progress and college and career readiness.