As part of his “Schools that Teach” tour, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera met with administrators and student representatives of the East Penn School District Jan. 23 to discuss Governor Tom Wolf’s plan to replace the current School Performance Profile with the Future Ready PA Index.

The School Performance Profile places strong emphasis on high stakes tests such as the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment and Keystone exams.

According to Rivera, although the PSSA and Keystone tests will remain as part of the profile, the Future Ready PA Index will provide a more holistic measure of student progress by incorporating multiple types of assessment. “This [shift] is not about reforming education but about re-imagining education,” Rivera said, and stressed a system of assessment which incorporates multiple pathways for students to achieve educational success allows local districts to determine how to best allocate financial resources.

In addition to delivering information pertaining to the Future Ready PA Index, Rivera also opened the door for panel participants to share what they consider East Penn’s successes and challenges.

East Penn Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Schilder opened the discussion by stating, “Our greatest challenges have been our greatest successes.” He cited the district’s focus on incorporating technology into the classroom, expanding to a full day kindergarten program and providing support for students with mental health issues.

Schilder added implementation of innovative programs is directly tied to available funding and agreed with Rivera one way to offset costs is to tap into existing community programs.

Students Declan Schoen and Rachel Reed offered fresh and personal insights.

Schoen considers the many advanced placement courses available a district strength. He praised the district’s encouragement of students to use cutting edge technology and underscored his point by demonstrating a personal device he routinely uses to record and transfer information.

Reed questioned whether the new assessment package would measure long-term student growth in specific disciplines. Reed also praised the district for providing forums for student input.

As the discussion moved forward, panel members voiced opinions and concerns on topics ranging from suggested revisions of teacher training to the importance of teaching children to collaborate.

Rivera listened carefully, provided clear, well-articulated responses and said he will share his findings with Gov. Wolf. He left no doubt that, in his words, “Education continues to be [the Governor’s] priority number one.”