3rd Grade Reading Scores

Comparison to community economic indicators.

Schools

Districts

ZipCodes

Source: School-level STAAR assesment scores ("meets grade level") for schools offering 3rd-grade level instruction across Texas.

Units: These charts are presented at the zip code level. Each point represents the average within a zip.

  1. Type in your community of interest (left) to see their STAAR rank.
  2. Compare to their rank on various community indicators (right).
  3. Drill down to similar communities (bottom).
  1. Make sure one single zip code is selected (above).
  2. Choose one or several community indicators (right).
  3. Compare your community's rank vs others with similar demographic characteristics.

Most-Similar ZipCodes

Compare Community Indicators

Expecting a scatterplot?

When we see a trend in a scatterplot, we tend to assume the variables are related -- that one directly affects another. Although this relationship may truly exist, a scatterplot is not proof. Scatterplots force us to focus one variable at a time, when in reality education outcomes depend on many interrelated factors.

This dashboard does the opposite.

It is designed to emphasize the role of omitted variables. By finding similar communities, it controls for one or several economic variables. If the highlighted community is leading or lagging its peers in education, we must consider two possibilities:

  1. The deviation is due to chance.
  2. Another omitted variable is causing the deviation.