As described in the Data Quality Campaign's Data 101, all states are required by federal law to produce a report card to help the public understand how students and schools are performing each year. Every state produces an annual report card about school, district, and statewide performance though the report cards are of varying quality and usefulness. The federal "Every Student Succeeds Act" requires that certain information be reported on a state report card, but states have the opportunity to provide additional data based on state and local needs. In many states, clunky formats, missing data, and technical jargon prevent the public from understanding the information available on report cards. Twenty-five states provide the option to translate their report card into a language other than English; and 26 states do not disaggregate student performance by at least one legally required student group, which can hide achievement gaps and the students who need support. The average state report card is written at a grade 15 reading level, making it difficult for all families to understand.

General features and perspectives about state report cards:

• They provide information on the types of students that schools and districts educate (e.g., Hispanic students, students with disabilities), how well those students are doing academically, how often students come to school, the school’s financial resources, and what types of qualifications teachers have.
• They include information about the measures on a state’s education accountability system along with contextual information about students and schools.
• They are required based on the view that everyone deserves to know how the public schools in their communities are doing. When information is difficult to find or understand, parents must cobble together information from different sources. This can breed mistrust between families and the education system serving their children.
• They are an opportunity to communicate with parents and the public about state priorities and education goals.
• They are an opportunity to present a picture of student and school performance in a one-stop format that states are uniquely positioned to produce and provide.
• They can answer questions and inform action.
• They can help parents make decisions about their child’s education and help state and local leaders allocate scarce resources.