What does this measure?
The percentage of students considered proficient or advanced on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) Grade 8 English Language Arts exam, reported for both the total student population and those students defined as "historically underperforming." Pennsylvania defines historically underperforming groups as students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, and English language learners.
Why is this important?
The middle school reading examination serves as a checkpoint for high school preparation. Performance on this exam can help predict high school success in reading. 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 2021, 52% of students in Lancaster County and 19% of students in the Lancaster City School District passed the PSSA Grade 8 English Language Arts exam, down from 60% in the County and 26% in the District in 2019. In contrast, 32% of historically underperforming students in Lancaster County and 17% of historically underperforming students in the Lancaster City School District passed the exam, down from 37% in the County and 23% in the District in 2019. Lancaster County's 2021 rate for all students was slightly lower than the statewide rate of 53%. Its rate for historically underperforming students was slightly below the statewide rate of 33%.
When compared with surrounding counties, Lancaster County has the second-highest proficiency rate among all students, following Cumberland and Chester (both 61%), and the third-highest performance rate among historically underperforming students, following Cumberland (38%) and Chester (33%). Lancaster County's share of historically underperforming students in eighth grade (32%) is similar to York (32%), and higher than Berks (28%), Lebanon (25%) and Dauphin (25%).
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.
The Spring 2020 PSSA was cancelled in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 2021 PSSA results were delayed. 2021 results may not reflect representative samples of the schools' students. Cross-year comparisons of proficiency are likely to be inaccurate for this reason.
All Students | Historically Underperforming | |
---|---|---|
Pennsylvania | 53% | 33% |
Lancaster County | 52% | 32% |
School District of Lancaster | 19% | 17% |
Hempfield School District | 67% | 46% |
Ephrata Area School District | 47% | 34% |
Elizabethtown Area School District | 55% | 34% |
Lampeter-Strasburg School District | 60% | 35% |
Eastern Lancaster County School District | 54% | 37% |
Donegal School District | 49% | 32% |
Manheim Central School District | 54% | 29% |
Conestoga Valley School District | 58% | 36% |
Columbia Borough School District | 24% | 18% |
Manheim Township School District | 61% | 36% |
Cocalico School District | 52% | 30% |
Penn Manor School District | 60% | 37% |
Pequea Valley School District | 45% | 38% |
Solanco School District | 57% | 43% |
Warwick School District | 61% | 38% |
La Academia Partnership Charter School | 0% | 0% |
Lebanon County | 46% | 25% |
York County | 51% | 32% |
Dauphin County | 41% | 25% |
Cumberland County | 61% | 38% |
Chester County | 61% | 33% |
Berks County | 46% | 28% |
All Students | Historically Underperforming | |
---|---|---|
Pennsylvania | 45,071 | 13,252 |
Lancaster County | 1,926 | 566 |
School District of Lancaster | 79 | 64 |
Hempfield School District | 239 | 74 |
Ephrata Area School District | 131 | 46 |
Elizabethtown Area School District | 124 | 26 |
Lampeter-Strasburg School District | 118 | 22 |
Eastern Lancaster County School District | 99 | 30 |
Donegal School District | 84 | 25 |
Manheim Central School District | 96 | 20 |
Conestoga Valley School District | 137 | 40 |
Columbia Borough School District | 17 | 9 |
Manheim Township School District | 190 | 38 |
Cocalico School District | 99 | 24 |
Penn Manor School District | 165 | 46 |
Pequea Valley School District | 45 | 24 |
Solanco School District | 116 | 42 |
Warwick School District | 187 | 36 |
La Academia Partnership Charter School | 0 | 0 |
Lebanon County | 622 | 158 |
York County | 2,042 | 619 |
Dauphin County | 797 | 285 |
Cumberland County | 1,191 | 289 |
Chester County | 2,169 | 404 |
Berks County | 1,264 | 376 |
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 Math | Not Applicable |
Student Performance in Grade 11 English | Decreasing |
Per-Student Spending | Maintaining |
Students Receiving Special Education Services | Increasing |
Rate of Foster Care Admissions | Decreasing |
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 |