PHOENIX (CBS5) -

Gov. Jan Brewer launched an online education report card on Wednesday that is designed to monitor the state's progress in reaching its educational goals.

Brewer said the Arizona Ready Education Report Card will allow parents and teachers to access and monitor information about the quality of schools and student performance. She said the new online tool would help ensure children are "college- and career-ready after graduation."

The online report card, at ArizonaReady.com,tracks the state's progress in six major areas: pre-kindergarten, elementary education, junior high, high school, post-secondary education, and workforce.

The online report card is part of an education reform plan known as Arizona Ready, which was jointly developed by Brewer, the Arizona Department of Education and other education stakeholders in 2010.

The plan sets specific and measurable goals based on the recommendation of education and business leaders as well as the states Race to the Top grant application.

Before educational improvements could be made, the state needed to know where the schools and students stood, and have a way to track progress and present that information to parents and teachers, Brewer's office said.

Copyright 2012 CBS 5 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

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Brewer launches online education report card