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.  Between 2008 and 2009 the Pioneer Valley saw a 2.8% increase (from 49.6% to 52.4%) in the number of students who scored proficient or above on the MCAS third grade English language test.  Of the three counties, Hampden County was the only county to experience an increase (4.0%), while Hampshire County decreased by 0.1% and Franklin County experienced no significant change.

Data Source:  Massachusetts Department of Education

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating 2.8%

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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 2008 and 2009, the Pioneer Valley saw a 0.8% increase (from 86.6% to 87.4%) in the number of students who passed the MCAS math test.  Hampden and Hampshire counties both experienced increases (0.8% and 1.7% respectively), and Franklin County had a decrease of 0.2% students passing the MCAS tenth grade math test.

Data Source: Massachusetts Department of Education

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating 0.8%

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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) tenth grade 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 2008 and 2009, the Pioneer Valley saw a slight decrease of 0.1% (from 93.6% to 93.5%) in the number of students who passed the MCAS English test.  Hampden and Hampshire counties both saw a slight decrease of 0.1%, while Franklin County’s proportion of students passing the MCAS English test increased by 0.8%.

Data Source: Massachusetts Department of Education

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating -0.1%

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Dropout Rate of High School Students

Description:

Dropout rates are the percentage of all 9th through 12th grade students who drop out of high school in a single year (the annual dropout rate).  The Pioneer Valley saw a decreased dropout rate between 2007 and 2008; from 5.6 to 4.9 percent.
All three counties had decreases in dropout rate.  Hampden County decreased by 0.9%, Hampshire County decreased 0.2%, and Franklin County decreased 1.1 percent.

Data Source: Massachusetts Department of Education

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating -0.7%

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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 high school graduates 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 percent.

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% representing a 7% increase.  This increased educational attainment was a trend that held true for all three counties individually as 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.

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

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating 7.0%

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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 2007 and 2008, the percent of older workers who remain engaged in the workforce in the Pioneer Valley increased from 52.2 to 55.6 percent.  Hampden County experienced a large increase of 4.3%, while Hampshire County and Franklin County experienced smaller increases of 2.6% and 2.2 % respectively.

Data Source: United States Census Bureau 2007 and 2008 American Community Survey

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating 3.4%

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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.  Trends followed consistent patterns in the three counties. Each county’s median worker age increased. Hampden County had an 8.6 % increase in median worker age, while Hampshire and Franklin Counties both experienced 11.1% increases.

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

Indicator Trend Percent Change Rating 9.3%

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