District Factor Groups

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District Factor Groups (DFGs) were first developed by the New Jersey Department of Education in 1975 for the purpose of comparing students’ performance on statewide assessments across demographically similar school districts. The categories are updated every ten years when the Census Bureau releases the latest Decennial Census data.

Since the DFGs were created, they have been used for purposes other than analyzing test score performance. In particular, the DFGs played a significant role in determining the initial group of districts that were classified as Abbott Districts. Additionally, subsequent to the Abbott IV court ruling, the DFGs were also used to define the group of school districts on which Abbott v Burke parity remedy aid would be based.

The DFGs represent an approximate measure of a community’s relative socioeconomic status (SES). The classification system provides a useful tool for examining student achievement and comparing similarly-situated school districts in other analyses. The DFGs do not have a primary or significant influence in the school funding formula beyond the legal requirements associated with parity aid provided to the Abbott districts.

In updating the DFGs using the data from the most recent Census, efforts were made to improve the methodology while preserving the underlying meaning of the DFG classification system. After discussing the measure with representatives from school districts and experimenting with various methods, the DFGs were calculated using the following six variables that are closely related to SES:

  1. Percent of adults with no high school diploma
  2. Percent of adults with some college education
  3. Occupational status
  4. Unemployment rate
  5. Percent of individuals in poverty
  6. Median family income.

[edit] DFG categories

School districts in New Jersey are categorized into District Factor Groups, which describe the socioeconomic characteristics of the local district. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J. Of the 549 districts statewide, the latest District Factor Groups categorized using data from the United States 2000 Census breakdown as follows:

  • A: 39
  • B: 67
  • CD: 67
  • DE: 83
  • FG: 89
  • GH: 76
  • I: 103
  • J: 25

[edit] External link

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