The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, also known as PSSA, measures how well students have achieved in reading and mathematics according to Pennsylvania's world-class academic standards. By using these standards, educators, parents and administrators can evaluate their students' strengths and weaknesses to increase students' achievement scores. According to the federal No Child Left Behind Act, students must be 100 % proficient in reading and math by 2014.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires states to determine annually whether schools and districts in Pennsylvania make Adequate Yearly Progress, also known as AYP. The 2006-07 targets were 45% proficient or advanced in math and 54% proficient or advanced in reading.

The No Child Left Behind legislation is the federal law enacted January of 2002 to ensure that all children receive a quality education. Included in the law are the following parents' rights: 1) to review curriculum and instructional materials utilized by their children; 2) to review surveys and/or request that their children not participate in surveys conducted by outside organizations; 3) to request that their child's name not be released to military recruiters without prior parent consent; and 4) to request information about the professional qualifications of their child's teacher. If parents wish to exercise these rights, they should send their request in writing to the building principal.