What does this measure?
As measured under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), directly certified students fall into at least one of the following categories:
- lives in a family unit receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food stamp benefits;
- lives in a family unit receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits; or
- identified as homeless, unaccompanied youth, foster, or migrant.
Source
Georgia Department of Education (posted on the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement website)
Why is this important?
Poverty affects child development, parent-child interactions, and family functioning. When families are isolated, lack resources, live with greater stress and instability, or view their child’s temperament as difficult, there is higher risk of negative child health and behavioral outcomes. These risk factors also affect children’s language, cognitive, and social-emotional development.
References and Resources
- The Forum Guide to Alternative Measures of Socioeconomic Status in Education Data Systems. National Center for Educational Statistics, June 2015.
- Ayoub, C et al. Cognitive skill performance among young children living in poverty: Risk, change, and the promotive effects of Early Head Start. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, September, 2009.
- Fernald, A, et al. SES differences in language processing skill and vocabulary are evident at 18 months. Developmental Science, March 2013.
- Hernadez, DJ. Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation. Report published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2012.