Speaker Calls on PDE to Publish School Assessments Now

HARRISBURG – As students, parents and educators continue to try and recover from months forced out of the classroom, state lawmakers are demanding academic assessment results be published immediately for Pennsylvania’s students.

Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) and Rep. Curt Sonney (R-Erie), chair of the House Education Committee, is urging the Pennsylvania Department of Education to immediately release Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) examination results from tests taken in the spring of 2021.

In a letter to Secretary of Education Noe Ortega, Sonney and Cutler argue the data is imperative to better understand the impact of the pandemic on learning loss in Pennsylvania, and necessary before any budgetary decisions can be made for the next fiscal year, saying in part:

“The release of PSSA test results is important to this legislative body, as the results are used for a variety of public policy purposes, including the relevant budgeting and allocation of resources as well as the determination of revisions to state education laws.  The 2022-2023 budget process has begun, but without the test data we are at great disadvantage in formulating an education plan that provides targeted support for those students and schools who may have been greatly impacted by the pandemic.”

The Department of Education acknowledged the delay in results in written testimony to the House Education Committee in November and pledged to provide the results in “the coming weeks.” However, now three months later, there is still no compilation of state exam results.

“Parents in every corner of the Commonwealth have concerns over what months of interrupted learning have truly meant for their children’s future,” Cutler said. “Part of that answer is in this data. The longer we wait for it to be published, the more questions will swirl over why it’s being delayed. I want to thank Chairmen Sonney for shining a light on this issue.”



Speaker Bryan Cutler
100th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Mike Straub
717-260-6397
mstraub@pahousegop.com
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