Supply the Region with an Educated, Skilled, and
Adequately Sized Pool of Workers

Percent of Students Scoring Proficient or Above on MCAS Third Grade English Language (Reading) Test

Description:

The Percent of students scoring proficient or above on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) English Language test includes all students scoring “Proficient” or “Above Proficient” and was calculated by dividing the percent of students who received these scores on the test by the total number of students in the region who took the test.  Overall, between 2006 and 2007, the Pioneer Valley saw a 1.7% increase (from 50.5% to 52.2%) in the number of students who scored proficient or above on the MCAS English language test. All three counties in the Pioneer Valley saw an increase, with a 1.3% increase in Hampden County, a 2.1% increase in Hampshire County, and the largest increase in Franklin County (5.8 percent).

Data Source:  Massachusetts Department of Education

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating 1.7%

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Percent of Students Passing the MCAS Tenth Grade Math Test

Description:

The Percent of students passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) math test was calculated by dividing the percent of students who passed the test by the total number of students in the region who took the test..  Overall, between 2006 and 2007, the Pioneer Valley saw a 3.5% decrease (from 89.4% to 85.9%) in the number of students who passed the MCAS math test.  All three counties followed the trend towards decreasing passing rates. Hampden County experienced a decrease of 4.2% while Hampshire County had a decrease of 1.9%, and Franklin County had the largest decrease (6.0 percent).

Data Source: Massachusetts Department of Education

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating -3.5%

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Percent of Students Passing the MCAS Tenth Grade English Test

Description:

The Percent of students passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) English test was calculated by dividing the percent of students who passed the test by the total number of students in the region who took the test.  Overall, between 2006 and 2007, the Pioneer Valley saw a 1.4% decrease (from 92.9% to 91.5%) in the percent of students who passed the MCAS English test.  The trend towards decreasing scores was consistent in the three counties. Franklin County saw the largest decrease (2.7%), followed by Hampden County at 2.2%, and Hampshire County with 0.6 percent.

Data Source: Massachusetts Department of Education

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating -1.4%

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Dropout Rate of High school Students

Description:

Drop out rates are the percentage of all 9th through 12th grade students who drop out of high school in a single year (the annual drop out rate).  The Pioneer Valley’s drop out rate decreased 1.1% between 2005 and 2006 (from 5.8% to 4.6% respectively).  The trends in dropout rates varied throughout the region. Hampden and Franklin counties both experienced decreases (1.4% and 0.9% respectively). Hampshire County’s dropout rate had a slight increase of 0.4 percent.

Data Source: Massachusetts Department of Education

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating -1.1%

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Educational Attainment of the Workforce 25 or older as Measured by the Percentage of High School Graduates

Description:

Educational attainment is calculated by determining the percentage of the population above the age of 25 who have a high school diploma, including those who have attained more advanced degrees (Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Graduate, or Professional).  Between 1990 and 2000, the percentage of the Pioneer Valley workforce who were high school graduates increased from 76.5% to 82.7% for a 6.2% change.  Hampden County had an increase of 5.6%, Hampshire County had an increase of 6.3%, and Franklin County had an increase of 5.5%. Hampshire County had the highest proportion of high school graduates in 2000 (89.3%).

Data Source: United States Census Bureau 1990 and 2000 Decennial Census

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating 6.2%

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Educational Attainment of the Workforce 25 or older as Measured by the Percentage of College Graduates

Description:

Educational attainment is calculated by determining the percentage of the population above the age of 25 who have at least an Associate’s degree, including those who have attained more advanced degrees (Bachelor’s, Graduate or Professional).  Between 1990 and 2000, the percentage of the Pioneer Valley workforce who were college graduates increased from 18.5% to 25.5% for a 7% change.  Hampshire County had an increase of 6%, Hampden County had an increase of 2.8%, and Franklin County had an increase of 4.8 percent. Hampshire County had the largest proportion of college graduates in 2000 (37.9 percent).

Data Source: United States Census Bureau 1990 and 2000 Decennial Census

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating 7%

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The Percent of Older Workers (55 to 75 years old) Who Remain Engaged in the Workforce

Description:

The percent of older workers who remain engaged in the workforce is calculated by dividing the number of people between the ages 55 to 75 years old who are in the labor force by the total number of people between the ages of 55 to 75 years old.  Between 2006 and 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the percent of older workers who remain engaged in the workforce in the Pioneer Valley increased from 51% to 52.0 percent.  Hampden County had a small decrease (0.6%), while Hampshire County had a slight increase (1.6 percent). Franklin County showed a large decrease of 14.4 percent. In 2006 Hampshire County had the largest proportion of older workers in its workforce.

Data Source: United States Census Bureau 2005 and 2006 American Community Survey

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating -1%

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The Median Age of the Region's Workforce Encompassing Ages 16 to 64

Description:

The median age of the region’s workforce is the middle age of all people engaged in the labor force between the ages of 16-64 years old.  In the Pioneer Valley, the Median Age of the workforce increased by 9.3% between 1990 and 2000.  Each of the three counties also had an increase in the Median age of the workforce, with the 8.5% in Hampden County and 11.1% in both Hampshire and Franklin Counties.

Data Source: United States Census Bureau 1990 and 2000 Decennial Census

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating 9.3%

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