PhiladelphiaIntervention cohortseasy
The 53 Philly CSI schools: where they stand on PSSA right now
Thesis
Pennsylvania designates 53 Philly schools as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) — the bottom 5% statewide. On PSSA ELA all-grades, the 14 CSI schools we have data for post a median of 17.6% proficient vs 25.0% for non-designated Philly schools at almost the same economic-disadvantage level (98.8% vs 95.9% econ-disadv). The designation is catching the right schools.
Supporting findings
- 53 Philly schools carry the CSI designation; 43 also identified in our directory load (others were under-reported in master list, more granular in Future Ready).
- Of the 14 CSI schools with a PSSA ELA all-grades Acct value, median = 17.6% proficient (vs non-designated median 25.0%).
- CSI schools' avg econ_disadv = 98.8% (vs 95.9% for non-CSI) — designation correlates with need but isn't identical to it.
- The 14 vs 53 mismatch is a data-coverage finding worth flagging.
Reporting directions
- Pull the longitudinal Master School List (2001-02 → 2016-17) to see when each CSI school first got the designation.
- Compare CSI vs non-designated schools' PSSA + persistent attendance trajectories.
- Cross-reference the CSI list with SDP's Major Intervention column (Renaissance Charter, Academic Improvement Plan, etc.) — substantial overlap or different cohorts?
Methodology & replication recipe — the queries + sources behind the findings above.