One of the primary purposes of the PSSA is to give schools an accurate assessment of how well their students are performing. Schools are supposed to use this data to determine their strengths and weaknesses. But it is not enough to know how a school is performing at a particular point in time. A school with failing test scores may want to continue with its educational strategy if the scores show significant improvement over recent years. Similarly, high test scores can be misleading if scores have fallen from previous years.
Having skilled teachers in the classroom is one of the most important factors affecting a school's overall test scores. The PSSA Assessment Handbook recommends ongoing, in-class assessments that give teachers the opportunity to share their best practices, and give them feedback on where they need improvement. Allowing teachers to plan, discuss and grade student papers together can also help the faculty bond for a common goal. Recognition of outstanding progress by one teacher or by an entire department can provide incentives for teachers to work harder. Teachers also must have a clear understanding of the PSSA so that their lesson plans are relevant to the standards.
The PSSA uses a system of assessment anchors to help schools develop curriculum. These anchors consist of skills and knowledge that the PSSA expects students to have acquired at each grade level. If a school's curriculum does not include some of these anchors, students will be unprepared when it is time to take the PSSA.
Tests should be given throughout the year to determine students' progress on the PSSA assessment anchors. These tests should be modeled on the PSSA. If the entire class does poorly on one part of a test, it may reveal a problem with the teacher's lesson plans.