For more than two decades, states have been required to report publicly on the academic performance of schools and districts. These school rating systems have received increased public attention amid growing concerns about the prevalence and cost of standardized testing in schools. According to a recent Gallup Poll, 64 percent of the public overall, and 67 percent of public school parents, said there is too much emphasis on standardized testing in education. These perceptions have been widely acknowledged by policymakers at both the state and federal levels. As deliberations on the future of Pennsylvania's school rating system, the School Performance Profile, gather steam, Research for Action (RFA) is pleased to provide background on the existing research related to best practices in reporting on school performance. We also offer examples of reporting systems from neighboring and high-performing states.