House Education committee hears testimony on cyber charter outcomes, funding and accountability

The Pennsylvania House Education Committee held the first of three public hearings on cyber charter school outcomes in Lancaster, drawing testimony on student achievement, attendance and residency verification, tuition and spending practices, and whether state assessments accurately reflect cyber students’ learning.

Dr. Sherry Smith, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA), told the committee that her members’ top concerns are academic performance, student participation in state assessments, attendance and graduation rates, and accurate residency verification. “Attendance is one of the hardest things for any of our cyber and virtual programs,” Dr. Smith said, and she urged clearer measures of who is truly participating and completing work rather than simply logging in.

Susan Spica, executive director of Education Voters of Pennsylvania, described a report her group published on cyber charter spending and said the group had reviewed two…