What does this measure?
The percentage of students considered proficient on the Pennsylvania Keystone Grade 11 Literature exam.
Why is this important?
Mastery of communication skills, including reading, writing, speaking and listening, is critical for success at college and in the workplace. The Pennsylvania Keystone Exam is one path for high school students to demonstrate readiness for postsecondary success. Proficiency among historically underperforming students can show whether districts and education policymakers have made progress in closing the achievement gap between traditionally underserved groups and other students.
How does our county compare?
In 2019, 76% of students in Lancaster County and 50% of students in the Lancaster City School District passed the Pennsylvania Keystone Grade 11 English Language Arts exam, down slightly from 75% in the County and up from 45% in the District in 2018. In contrast, 56% of historically underperforming students in Lancaster County and 46% of historically underperforming students in the Lancaster City School District passed the exam in 2019, up from 55% in the County and 42% in the District in 2018. Lancaster County's 2019 proficiency rates were slightly higher than statewide rates of 73% for all students and 54% for historically underperforming students.
Lancaster County has the fourth highest proficiency rate among all students following Chester (80%), Cumberland and York (both 79%) and the fourth highest performance rate among historically underperforming students following York (60%), Cumberland and Chester (both 57%). Lancaster County's share of historically underperforming students in eleventh grade (42%) is similar to Lebanon (41%), lower than Berks and Dauphin (both 48%), and higher than York (40%), Chester (33%) and Cumberland (31%).
Notes about the data
As assessments vary among states, it is not possible to include comparable data for the nation or other areas in this indicator. Data are from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
All Students | Historically Underperforming | |
---|---|---|
Pennsylvania | 73% | 54% |
Lancaster County | 76% | 56% |
School District of Lancaster | 50% | 46% |
Hempfield School District | 81% | 60% |
Ephrata Area School District | 82% | 65% |
Elizabethtown Area School District | 73% | 45% |
Lampeter-Strasburg School District | 86% | 59% |
Eastern Lancaster County School District | 79% | 57% |
Donegal School District | 74% | 53% |
Manheim Central School District | 79% | 51% |
Conestoga Valley School District | 87% | 73% |
Columbia Borough School District | 57% | 55% |
Manheim Township School District | 84% | 66% |
Cocalico School District | 77% | 58% |
Penn Manor School District | 83% | 66% |
Pequea Valley School District | 73% | 64% |
Solanco School District | 61% | 46% |
Warwick School District | 76% | 51% |
La Academia Partnership Charter School | 50% | 50% |
Lebanon County | 71% | 50% |
York County | 79% | 60% |
Dauphin County | 64% | 45% |
Cumberland County | 79% | 57% |
Chester County | 80% | 57% |
Berks County | 72% | 52% |
All Students | Historically Underperforming | |
---|---|---|
Pennsylvania | 83,797 | 27,674 |
Lancaster County | 3,334 | 1,037 |
School District of Lancaster | 222 | 175 |
Hempfield School District | 417 | 108 |
Ephrata Area School District | 238 | 83 |
Elizabethtown Area School District | 209 | 41 |
Lampeter-Strasburg School District | 208 | 38 |
Eastern Lancaster County School District | 154 | 37 |
Donegal School District | 151 | 46 |
Manheim Central School District | 188 | 32 |
Conestoga Valley School District | 269 | 91 |
Columbia Borough School District | 50 | 31 |
Manheim Township School District | 327 | 77 |
Cocalico School District | 150 | 37 |
Penn Manor School District | 289 | 96 |
Pequea Valley School District | 81 | 33 |
Solanco School District | 139 | 51 |
Warwick School District | 232 | 51 |
La Academia Partnership Charter School | 10 | 10 |
Lebanon County | 932 | 274 |
York County | 3,693 | 1,139 |
Dauphin County | 1,907 | 648 |
Cumberland County | 1,659 | 373 |
Chester County | 5,297 | 1,224 |
Berks County | 3,220 | 1,125 |
INDICATORS | TREND |
---|---|
Prekindergarten Participation | Increasing |
Student Performance on Grade 3 English | Not Applicable |
Student Performance on Grade 3 Math | Not Applicable |
Student Performance on Grade 8 English | Not Applicable |
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math | Not Applicable |
Student Performance in Grade 11 English | Not Applicable |
Student Performance in Grade 11 Math | Decreasing |
Per-Student Spending | Maintaining |
Students Receiving Special Education Services | Increasing |
Rate of Foster Care Admissions | Maintaining |
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
Disengaged Youth | Maintaining |
Plans of High School Graduates | Not Applicable |
Enrollment in Local Colleges | Decreasing |
College Graduation Rates | Decreasing |
Brain Drain/Gain | Increasing |
Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |