Student Proficiency Rates: 3rd Grade English Language Arts (ELA) and Math

New York Finger Lakes Region

These patterns of academic achievement disparity are also evident at a much earlier age. The data below are based on third grade English Language Arts (ELA) and math assessments in districts across the Finger Lakes region. Proficiency rates are based on percentage of students who scored at levels 3 or 4.

The ELA (top charts) and math (bottom charts) have similar patterns which are consistent with, although more pronounced than, the high school graduation rate data. Proficiency rates are much higher for white students than African-Americans and Latinos, and for those students who are not economically disadvantaged (as identified by family participation in economic support programs).

Methodology note: The SES index ranking was developed by Common Ground Health and calculated using a variety of socioeconomic indicators from the American Community Survey including average income, poverty rates, education levels, housing value, and homeownership. Each ZIP code is assigned a socioeconomic (SES) index ranking from 1 to 5. The lower SES ZIP codes tend to have lower average income, higher poverty rates, lower prevalence of college degrees, etc.

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