State assessments are a fact of life - have been, in fact, for more students in more grades in all states since the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2001.

For anyone reading the test results here, the question is how to make sense of a gray sea of numbers on the page?

Local school leaders say the test results are like a snapshot of how students performed, on a single occasion, on a sampling of questions in the core subjects. The schools spend time and energy preparing their students to do well on the test, coaching them not only on content but on test-taking skills.

Testing data in The Inquirer's Report Card on the Schools show whether students are learning math and reading skills at grade level, whether the school improved from 2006 to 2007, and how the school compares with all other schools in the state and with schools with similar poverty levels among students.

The goal of the NCLB law - challenged by critics as virtually unattainable - is for all students to perform at grade level in math and reading by 2014.

Each state, however, plots the trajectory by which it plans to attain that goal. In recent years, New Jersey has set the bar higher than Pennsylvania in terms of proficiency targets for schools.

What the school-level test results do not reveal is how a particular child performed. That information is available to parents, however; the state analyzes each student's results and compiles a report that is forwarded to the school.

To help parents learn more about the tests and their impact on students, the Education Law Center (ELC) and the Pennsylvania School Reform Network in Philadelphia have published fact sheets. Among their suggestions:

• Find out how teachers are preparing your child for the annual tests.
• Ask the school to give your child extra help.
• Obtain a copy of the written score reports for your child.
• Learn about the state tests so you can better understand how your child performed.

The ELC Web site is www.elc-pa.org/nochild/publications.html

   - Connie Langland