ArizonaReady.com offers new online report card for schools

PHOENIX - Parents are now able to track progress at their child's school much easier.

Governor Jan Brewer announced the launch of the "Arizona Ready Education Report Card" Thursday.

It's an online data tool designed to monitor the state's progress in reaching its educational goal.

"This online report card puts right at parents' finger tips some of the most critical information about quality of our schools and the achievement of our students," Brewer said.

The report card tracks the state's progress in six major areas: pre-K, elementary, junior high, high school, post-secondary education, workforce.

There are sub-categories including high school graduation rates, dropout rates, state-to-nation employment ratios, SAT10 assessment results, and reading assessments.

When you click into the site, you'll see several graphs. For example, a graph under the high school tab shows the state expects 93 percent of students to graduate on time by 2020.

The graph also shows that 76 percent of Arizona students did in 2009.

Rebecca Gau, Director of the Governor's Office of Education Innovation, said curriculum has changed to push toward these goals.

Schools focus more on career-driven curriculum at the high school level, she said.

The goals were set to align with the needs of employers, Gau said. 

"An educated workforce is crucial to the future economic success of Arizona," Brewer said.