Heritage Foundation Leadership for America

THE REPORT CARD REPORT: AMERICA'S BEST WEB SITES FOR SCHOOL PROFILES

10 Model Internet-based Report Cards

Below are 10 model Internet-based report cards, all using different approaches, but each containing accessible, easy-to-understand information.

State of Colorado – http://reportcard.cde.state.co.us/
reportcard/CommandHandler.jsp
Grade: A-
Colorado will launch its new report card, a major initiative of Governor Bill Owens, in Fall 2001 (a sample appears at the above address).  Colorado's site contains a wide variety of data, including important information on teachers, such as how many received degrees in their respective teaching fields.  The report card includes school ratings, parent-friendly descriptions of individual school features, and the ability to compare different schools.  Colorado private schools will also be able to post information on the state's web site.  Its main drawbacks are that the legislature required the site to provide ratings instead of letter grades.  A "C" grade will be equated with "satisfactory" performance, instead of a more rigorous rating system.  Like other states, it could also provide more information on student demographics.

Great Schools – http://www.greatschools.net
Grade: A-
Great Schools is one of the leading private-sector online sources of school information.  A one-stop shop complete with school report cards, parent guides on what to look for when selecting schools, and relevant news articles, this site is a model of how the Internet can facilitate the process of deciding where to send your children to school.  The site currently provides comprehensive information on Arizona and California schools, but by Fall 2001 is set to offer report cards for schools in all 50 states. However, one area that could be improved, on this site and others, is the reporting of student test scores on the Stanford-9.  For California schools, Great Schools only lists the percentage of students scoring above the 50^th percentile in each grade and subject area on the test.  But it also ought to report median test scores for each grade, as it does in Arizona, giving a better snapshot of student performance.

School Wise Press – http://www.schoolwisepress.com
Grade: A-
Like Great Schools, School Wise Press offers comprehensive online school information, including report cards, for 8,000 California schools.  Schools in the same county can be compared to one another using different variables, such as test scores and student characteristics.  More attention could be paid to teacher characteristics, for example how many teachers have a degree in their subject field, and to the reporting of student test scores, but like Great Schools, the site is a model for how the Internet can transform the reporting of school information.  School Wise Press licenses its products to third parties like the Los Angeles Times and the San Jose Unified School District, and sells books and magazines.  The company also has printed versions of its school report cards in one-sixth of California's public libraries.

State of Kentucky – http://www.kde.state.ky.us/comm/commrel/school_report_card/
Grade: B+
Like Colorado, Kentucky contains concise information that is easy for parents to understand, on a wide variety of indicators.  The strengths of the Kentucky report cards are the information on teacher characteristics and the explanations that accompany the data, allowing parents to put numbers and findings into context.  The drawbacks are their lack of school ratings or rankings, and insufficient information on student demographics.

State of Pennsylvania – http://www.paprofiles.org
Grade: B+
Pennsylvania was one of the first states to post online school report cards.  The site is less comprehensive in terms of data, but includes important topics such as test scores, class size, and student information.  It is a good example of a site that is easy for parents to navigate, and it includes public and private schools for parents to examine.

State of Arizona – http://www.ade.state.az.us/srcs/
Grade: B+
Arizona's online report cards are longer than other states', but no less accessible.  Similar to Kentucky's, it provides consumer-friendly explanations of school features, goals, and priorities, and provides various forms of contact information for parents.  Unfortunately, the site does not contain school ratings or rankings, and could post more information on student characteristics, but it is nevertheless an excellent resource for parents

Parent Information Center, The Independence Institute – http://www.parentinfocenter.org
Grade: B+
While many report cards, even otherwise excellent ones, fail to include school ratings, the Parent Information Center is a superb example of how letter grades for schools can be used to help inform parents' judgements.  The Parent Information Center offers comprehensive information on Colorado schools, and was one of the models on which the state's new report cards will be based.  Its slightly lower grade than the state's web site is attributed to the fact it contains less comprehensive information.

Just for the Kids – http://www.just4kids.org
Grade: B
Just for the Kids is unlike other school report cards.  A non-profit web site which dispenses information on Texas schools, Just for the Kids complements the state's report card, by providing information on how individual schools compare to high-achieving schools that are demographically similar.  The site also reports on how many students in individual schools demonstrate "mastery" on state tests in various academic subjects, while the state's report cards only examine which students achieve minimum competency.  Just for the Kids only contains test-score information, but is a good example of an innovative site that expands on data provided by state report cards.

Georgia Public Policy Foundation – http://www.gppf.org
Grade: B
While most of the other report cards here provide excellent comprehensive information, many fail to include school rankings or ratings.  Georgia Public Policy Foundation (GPPF) takes a different approach and provides only school rankings across the state and by region, analyzing test scores and student poverty levels.  While parents should seek out more information and come to their own conclusions, GPPF provides three separate handbooks on elementary, middle, and high schools, rating every public school in the state.  A true report card should be more comprehensive than this, but GPPF is an excellent example of how a rating system can encourage parents to learn more about their schools.

EPIC, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – http://www.uwm.edu/EPIC/
Grade: B-
Report cards are invaluable tools for any school system that incorporates school choice.  EPIC serves as an online clearinghouse for Milwaukee schools, public and private, that post information on what they have to offer consumers.  Given that Milwaukee is also home to the nation's oldest voucher experiment, this site helps parents compare different schools and take advantage of expanded choice.  While EPIC could be improved in terms of the information it provides, the site offers a glimpse of what an important role report cards can play if all parents are allowed to benefit from school choice.