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Data Sources and Methodology

Overview

This dashboard was created through a 7-month collaborative effort between United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and Hospital Central Services Cooperative (HCSC).

The goal of this tool is to provide the Greater Lehigh Valley communities, families, service providers, youth, policymakers and local leaders with a credible, place-based data dashboard to guide action, improve services and shape public policy.

Data Sources

  • Pennsylvania Dept of Education
    • Data and Reporting
      • High School Graduation
        • 4-Year Cohort Graduation
        • 5-Year Cohort Graduation
    • Assessment Reporting
      •  Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)
        • English Language Arts (ELA) Results
          • State Level Data
          • District Level Data
          • School Level Data
        • Math Results
          • State Level Data
          • District Level Data
          • School Level Data
        • Science Results
          • State Level Data
          • District Level Data
          • School Level Data

Data Definitions

  • PSSA
    • “An annual assessment administered in commonwealth classrooms in grades 3 through 8.”
  • Cohort Graduation rate
    • “The Pennsylvania Department of Education, Division of Data Quality, compiles statistical information covering the 4-Year, 5-Year and 6-Year Graduation Rates for Pennsylvania public schools. Pennsylvania’s public high schools provide the graduate and enrollment data through the Pennsylvania Information Management System (PIMS), which is used to calculate the above rates.”
      • “The cohort graduation rates are a calculation of the percentage of students who have graduated with a regular high school diploma within a designated number of years since the student first entered high school. The rate is determined for a cohort of students who have all entered high school for the first time during the same school year.”

Data Limitations

Small Demographic Group Data Masking: In accordance with FERPA and HIPAA, any group with fewer than 10 individuals within a school building or census tract, details are masked to protect privacy. When viewing multiple masked values across buildings or census tracts that roll up into a larger area, cumulative data loss may occur. Users seeking comprehensive statistics at broader geographic levels (e.g., city, county, state) are encouraged to consult additional sources such as the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Additional Notes

Data Availability: Most data is available through the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) website. Where data was incomplete or unavailable, additional information was obtained directly from PDE.

District Information: Legislative district is determined by the physical address of each school.

Data Update: Data is current through the end of the 2024 school year; more recent data will be added when available.

Elementary and Middle Schools: Included only if part of the following districts and if PSSA data is available for the school:

  • Allentown School District
  • Bangor Area School District
  • Bethlehem Area School District
  • Easton Area School District
  • Panther Valley School District

Special thanks to our contributors:

  • Learn to Earn Dayton team
  • Hospital Central Services Cooperative team

Questions or Suggestions

For questions, suggestions, or revisions to the dashboard, please contact Bridget Silk at [email protected].