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Healthy Schools Data Methods, Limitations, and References

General information

This section contains information on methods, limitations, and references from Healthy Schools in San Mateo County maps.

Student Reading Proficiency

Methods

  • Data were obtained from the California Department of Education’s California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) test.
  • Third grade reading proficiency data were mapped using ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS Online.

Limitations

  • Standardized testing is a one-dimensional measurement of student reading proficiency.

References

Suspension

Methods

  • Data were obtained from the California Department of Education’s DataQuest.
  • Data were submitted and certified by local educational agencies and charter schools to the California Department of Education in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System. 
  • Suspension data were mapped using ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS Online.

Limitations

  • Suspensions is one indicator of many that can be used to measure disproportionality in student discipline.

References

Educational Attainment

Methods

  • Data were obtained from U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates at American FactFinder.
  • Data were cleaned and aggregated to determine the percentage of adults with a high school degree or less at the census tract level.
  • Data were mapped using ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS Online.
  • Data included all adults 25 years and over.

Limitations

  • Approximately 295,000 households are selected to participate in the annual American Community Survey, or less than 1 percent of all households in the U.S. 
  • Data were estimated from survey responses.  
  • Estimates have some chance of error.

References

Free or Reduced Price Meals

Methods

  • Data were obtained from the California Department of Education’s 2016-2017 California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Fall 1 Submission.
  • Data were cleaned and aggregated to determine the percentage of students enrolled in the National School Lunch Program (MSLP) by school district.
  • Data were mapped using ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS Online.

Limitations

  • County offices of education, school districts and charter schools self report data to CALPADS, which relies on their accuracy and efficiency of data reporting.

References