Regional Trends
Regional Trends
Urban Core Trends
Urban Core Trends
Supply the Region with an Educated, Skilled, and |
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Percent of Students Scoring Proficient or Above on MCAS Third Grade English Language (Reading) Test
Description:
The percent of third grade 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 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 English language test.
Proficient scores were not as prevalent in the urban core, although the trends were also positive, increasing from 30% to 33.7 percent. Both Holyoke and Springfield showed positive change (increases of 4.2% and 3.0% respectively) while Chicopee had the only decreasing rate, at 2.5 percent.
Data Source: Massachusetts Department of Education
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Percent of Students Passing the MCAS Tenth Grade Math Test
Description:
The percent of tenth grade 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.
The proportion of students passing the math test in the urban core was almost 15% lower than the Pioneer Valley as a whole at 72.7% in 2009. Trends were relatively stable with a minor increase of 0.3% between 2008 and 2009. Trends varied drastically in the urban areas surveyed, Holyoke had a significant negative change (-3.9%), while Springfield experienced a 1.5% increase in passing rates.
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Percent of Students Passing the MCAS Tenth Grade English Test
Description:
The percent of tenth grade 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 2008 and 2009, the Pioneer Valley saw a slight decrease (from 93.6% to 93.5%) in the number of students who passed the MCAS English test.
Passing rates were noticeably lower in the urban core. In 2009, students passed at a rate of more than 7.5% lower than the Pioneer Valley as a whole. The trend rate was similar to the region, with a decrease of 0.6% from 2008 to 2009. Of the urban areas included, Holyoke experienced a 4.1% decrease in scores, while Springfield rose slightly (its rate of passing increased by 0.3 percent).
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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.
In the urban core, dropout rates were higher than the Pioneer Valley in significantly larger proportions. Schools in the urban core in 2008 had a dropout rate of 10.0%, more than double the rate of the Pioneer Valley as a whole. Trends were positive however, with a decrease of 1.0 percent from 2007 to 2008. Trends in the two urban localities were varied, with a slight increase (0.3%) in dropout rates in Holyoke, and a trend towards decreased dropouts in Springfield (with a percent change of 1.2 percent).
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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% respectively, for a 6.2% change.
In 1990 the urban core had a proportion of high school graduates that was more than 7% lower than the Pioneer Valley. Although the proportion of high school graduates increased by 4.0% between 1990 and 2000, the gap in attainment between the urban core and the region had increased to more than 10%. Trends were varied in the three urban areas. Holyoke’s high school attainment rates increased by 2%, Springfield had an increase of 3.8%, and Chicopee urban core areas had the largest increase (7.7 percent).
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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% change.
In the urban core, the percentage of college graduates increased by less than 1% between 1990 and 2000. Trends varied within the three urban areas. Springfield increased its proportion of college graduates by only 0.4%, while Holyoke’s proportion increased by more than 2%. The Chicopee urban core area followed slightly different trend patterns, with a slight decrease (0.9%) in college graduates as a proportion of the population.
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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 1990 and 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the percent of older workers who remain engaged in the workforce in the Pioneer Valley increased from 30.6% to 32.0%.
Trends differed slightly in the urban core from the region, with a 1.3% decrease in the number of older workers in the labor force. Another difference was that the proportion of older workers was also less in the urban core when compared with the region (27.9% in 1990 and 26.6% in 2000). Trends varied in the two urban areas; Holyoke experienced a slight increase (0.9%), and Springfield experienced a decrease of 2.0% in older workers in the labor force.
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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.
The median age in the urban core areas increased more than that of the region. From 1990-2000, there was an increase of 15.6%. All three urban core areas had the same median worker age (32 in 1990, and 37 in 2000), and thus they all had the same trend - an increase of 15.6%).
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Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC)
60 Congress Street • Springfield, MA 01104-3419 www.pvpc.org
For more information on the State of the Region and Plan for Progress Performance Indicators,
contact the PVPC's
Regional Information & Policy Center at (413) 781-6045