NEXT STOP: MIDDLE SCHOOL - Boston Public Schools

GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Attendance Rate: Attendance rate indicates the average percentage of days in attendance for
students enrolled in a Boston public school.
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS): Shows percent of students at each
performance level for the current year. Also included is the school’s total “proficiency rate” for Math
and ELA, that is, the percentage of students who achieved either proficient or advanced
performance levels.
School Size by Grade: Indicates the total number of students in each grade and the school.
School Population by Race/Ethnicity: Indicates the percent of enrollment by race/ethnicity, rounded
to the nearest tenth. Definitions (as of October 1, 2012).
African American or Black: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.
Asian: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian
subcontinent.
Hispanic or Latino: A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other
Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
Multi-race, Non-Hispanic: A person selecting more than one racial category and non-Hispanic.
Native American: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America
(including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of
Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
Special Education: Indicates the percent of enrollment that have an Individualized Education
Program (IEP).
Student/Teacher Ratio: The student enrollment as of October 1 to the total number of teachers.
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