Multiple data sources are used for the 1996 Kentucky KIDS COUNT profiles of the status of
children and their families in the state and its 120 counties and the profiles of
education related data in the 176 local school districts in the state.
Listed below, alphabetically, are the definitions, methodology, and data sources for the data elements in the 1996 profiles.
ACT Scores (94-95): The ACT (American College Test) is a nationally norm referenced test taken by college bound students, usually in their senior year of high school. The top composite score is 36. The national average for 1995 was 20.8 and Kentucky was 20.1. The percentage tested indicates the number of students tested divided by the number of graduates in a given year.
AFDC (Fiscal Year 95): The number of children served by the Aid For Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program is the monthly average for the fiscal year 1995 (July 1994 through June 1995) taken from data in the PA-264 Report Series completed by the Department of Social Insurance, Cabinet for Families and Children. This program has been renamed Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) in welfare reform legislation enacted by Congress and in Kentucky K-TAP, the Kentucky Temporary Assistance Program.
Attendance Rate (94-95): The rate indicates the percentage of enrolled students in attendance in the classroom. Data were provided by the Kentucky Department of Education.
Average Annual Live Births: The average of the number of live births for the calendar years 1993, 1994, and 1995. Data were provided by the Division of Vital Statistics, Cabinet for Health Services, collected from birth certificates.
Average Household Income (1989): The reported 1989 incomes (collected by the 1990 Census) of all persons 15 and over in each household are summed and treated as a single amount. The average household income within each school district is provided for all households and then subdivided for households with and without children.
Birth Trends: See individual definitions.
Births with 1st Trimester Prenatal Care (%): The total number of women receiving prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy was divided by the total number of births over the years 1993, 1994, and 1995 and converted to a percentage. Data were collected from birth certificates and provided by the Division of Vital Statistics, Cabinet for Health Services.
Births to Unmarried Women (%): The total number of births to unmarried women was divided by the total number of births over the years 1993, 1994, and 1995 and converted to a percentage. Data were collected from birth certificates and provided by the Division of Vital Statistics, Cabinet for Health Services.
Child Abuse and Neglect: The child abuse and neglect data are taken from annual data compiled by the Department of Social Services, Cabinet for Families and Children. The incidences of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and dependency/neglect may count a child more than once and therefore over count the total number of children abused and neglected. A report is considered substantiated after state officials complete an investigation and determine that further action is justified to protect the child. Definitions of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect are commonly understood. Dependency refers to a child who is under improper care in a situation that is not due to an intentional act of the parent or other person exercising custodial control of the child.
Child Poverty (1990): Poverty status for children was determined based on the 1989 federal poverty guidelines applied to family income reported during the 1990 Census. The poverty guideline for a family of four persons in 1989 was $12,674. The federal guideline is adjusted each year for inflation; for 1996, for a family of four, the poverty line is $15,600.
Commonwealth Diplomas: The Commonwealth Diploma is awarded to students who complete advanced placement courses which are above and beyond the regular requirements of a high school diploma.
Community Information: Data under this header were derived from the School District Data Book, A Special Tabulation from the 1990 Census and relate to all households (those with students in the schools and all other households as well) within the school district. See individual definitions for more information.
Crude Birth Rate: The crude birth rate is the total live births per 1,000 population. The crude birth rate vital statistic is calculated for the three-year period 1993-95, and other data displays the crude birth rate for the years 1980 through 1995. Data were collected from birth certificates and provided by the Division of Vital Statistics, Cabinet for Health Services.
Dependency/Neglect: See child Abuse and Neglect.
Dropout Rate : Dropout rates measure the percentage of students enrolled in grades 7-12 who do not enroll the following year and have not graduated or transferred to another school. Districts without high schools will have a blank in the dropout rate. Data were provided by the Kentucky Department of Education.
Education of Householder (1990): This data compares the education levels of the heads of all households and the heads of households with children within a given school district. The three categories are less that a high school graduate, high school graduate and above (shown as HS Grad+), and bachelor's degree and above (shown as BA+). Information is self reported in the 1990 Census data, therefore head of household is also self defined and may be either spouse within a married couple.
Education of Women (25+) Giving Birth (1993-1995): This data displays the educational levels of women 25 years or older giving birth during calendar years 1993, 1994, and 1995. Younger women were excluded form these data since by definition they cannot have completed their education given their ages. Data were collected from birth certificates and provided by the Division of Vital Statistics, Cabinet for Health Services.
Enrollment: Enrollment figures for public and non public schools are compared for the 1989-90 and 1995-96 school years. The percentage change is the difference between the recent and older enrollment divided by the 1989-90 figure, and therefore represents growth or decline over a six year period. Data were provided by the Kentucky Department of Education.
Fiscal Information (1994-95): See individual definitions.
Food Stamps: The number of children receiving food stamp benefits is compiled for the month of October 1996. Data were provided by the Department of Social Insurance, Cabinet for Families and Children.
Free and Reduced Lunches (%): The percentages of children receiving free and reduced lunch are compared for the 1989-90 and 1995-96 school years. The percentage change is the difference between the recent and older periods, and therefore represents growth or decline over a six year period. Data were provided by the Kentucky Department of Education.
Family Resource-Youth Services Centers: The number of funded family resource and youth services centers (FRYSCs), as of August 23, 1996, within each school district was provided by the Cabinet for Families and children. Family resource centers serve elementary schools and youth service centers serve secondary (middle and High) schools. In some cases, a single center many serve multiple schools.
Households: Data for the compositions of households by the presence of children within a school district is displayed as well as the total number of households within the district. Data are from the 1990 Census.
Infant Mortality Rate: The number of infant deaths (children less that one year old) in the three year period, 1993, 1994, and 1995, was divided by the total number of live births in the same years and converted to thousands. The infant mortality rate reflects the number of infans who died per thousand births. Data were provided by the Division of Vital Statistics, Cabinet for Health Services, collected from birth and death certificates.
Levied Tax: The levied tax is the amount of local taxes imposed to support schools. Besides property taxes, local school districts may tax utilities, including cable TV. The local rate is expressed as cents per $100 of assessed property evaluation.
Live Births by Age of Mother: The percentage of births in the years 1993, 1994, and 1995 are displayed according to the age of the mother. Data were collected from birth certificates and provided by the Division of Vital Statistics, Cabinet for Health Services.
KIRIS (Fall 1996): The status of all schools within the district on the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS) was released by the Kentucky Department of Education in October 1996. KIRIS was established by the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 to hold schools accountable for student learning. Every two years, a school's score is calculated based on Kentucky-developed paper and pencil tests administered in grades 4, 8, and 12, and non-cognitive factors such as attendance, dropout rate, attendance rate. A baseline score is established over a two year period and the school's score over the next two years is compared to the baseline. The improvement goal for each school is a percentage improvement of the baseline score, with schools with lower baseline scores having to make more point gains than schools with higher baseline scores. Schools are monetarily rewarded based on improvement relative to their own baseline score. A reward school exceeded its improvement goal by 1 point or more. A success school reached its improvement goal or exceeded its goal by less than 1 point. An improving school's score was greater than the baseline but less than its improvement goal for the last two years or a school previously classified as improving or in decline that has not yet met its original improvement goal but would not be classified as in decline or crisis for the last two years. A decline school's score was less than 5 points below the baseline. A crisis school's score was 5 points or more below the baseline.
Medicaid: The number of children receiving Medicaid financed health services was calculated by adding the monthly averages for the fiscal year 1995 (July 1994 - June 1995) of (1) children categorically eligible (on AFDC), (2) children medically eligible (based on age and family income), and (3) children receiving SSI in fiscal year 1995. The totals for categories (1) and (2) were taken from data compiled by the Department for Medicaid, Cabinet for Families and Children. The total for category (3) was received from the Social Security Administration.
Per Pupil Spending: Per pupil spending is calculated by dividing the total expenditures from all sources in a school district by the total student enrollment. Per pupil spending is compared for the 1989-1990 and 1994-95 school years, adjusting the 1989-90 amount for inflation and expressing it in 1995 dollars. The percent change is the difference between the recent and older per pupil spending amount divided by the 1989-90 figure. With the adjustment for inflation, any growth or decline represents "real" changes in buying power over the five-year period. Data were provided by the Kentucky Department of Education.
Physical Abuse: See Child Abuse and Neglect definition.
Population (1990): For the school districts, the 1990 census counts of all persons, those under 6 years old, and those under 18 years old are shown.
Population (1996): Estimates of total, under 6, and under 18 populations were derived from the Urban Studies Institute, University of Louisville, population forecasts (1995 edition, high growth series).
Population % Below Poverty: Poverty rates, shown in percents for total, under 6, and under 18, were based on the number living below the federal poverty line in 1989 (as collected from the 1990 census).
Population Under 20: Based in midyear estimates from the Census Bureau, the population under 20 is divided into racial and ethnic categories for 1990 and 1994 and the percent change is calculated. Readers should note that Hispanic origin is an ethnic category and therefore is separate from the racial categories listed above it. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any racial category.
Poverty Programs: These four programs are the major programs for assisting children living in poor families. See individual definitions.
Property Tax Rates: See individual definitions.
Pupil/Teacher Ratio: The pupil/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the average daily attendance by total classroom teachers. The data were provided by the Kentucky Department of Education, Division of Finance.
Retention Rate: Retention rates are the percentage of students in grades 4-12 who do not progress to the next grade level or graduate in a given year. (The primary years are not included in the retention measure.) The data were provided by the Kentucky Department of Education, Division of Finance.
Revenue by Source: The data displays the percentage of total school revenue provided by local, state, and federal funding for the school year 1994-95. Total revenue for the year is also displayed. The data were provided by the Kentucky Department of Education, Division of Finance.
School Performance Indicators: See individual definitions.
School Trends: See individual definitions.
Schools with SBDM Councils: The number of School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) councils, local decision making bodies composed of the school principal, two parents, and three teachers or certified staff within each district is current as of November 12, 1996. In some case, one building may have more than one council, each responsible for different grades or a council may exist outside the traditional elementary, middle or high school designation. The data were provided by the Kentucky Department of Education.
Sexual Abuse: See Child Abuse and Neglect definitions.
SSI: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments are provided to children with qualifying disabilities in low-income families. The number of children are monthly averages from December 1995 from data compiled by the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Teen Birth Rate: The teen birth rate is the total number of births to females 17 and under divided by the total population of females 12 through 17 years old. The resulting rate reflects the number of births per 1,000 teens between and including the ages of 12 and 17. The teen birth rate statistic is calculated for the three year period 1993-95. Trends data shows the county birth rate for the years 1980 through 1995. Readers are cautioned that the teen birth rates reported in other sources are often for teens 12 through 19 and may not be comparable.
Tier I Maximum: The Tier I Maximum is the tax rate local school districts may impose without voter referendum. The rate is an additional 15 percent above the state guaranteed base and is equalized to 150 percent of the state's average per pupil assessment. If a district has not imposed taxes at or above the Tier I Maximum it may be forgoing available state matching funds.
Transition Rate: Transition rates measure the percentages of graduates who are pursuing further education or are employed, either full or part time, six months after graduation. The data for the 1995 graduating class were provided by the Kentucky Department of Education.
Vital Statistics (1993-1995): See individual definitions.