# Dashboard Data — README

Aggregate data files behind a public **Vision Aligned Reporting (VAR)
dashboard**. Everything in this folder is pre-aggregated: counts, rates,
and totals only — no student-level rows, no identifiers.

*This copy holds synthetic sample data for **Crestwater Community College**,
a fictional college. It exists so you can see exactly what a working
`dashboard_data` folder looks like. To build your own, replace the numbers
with your college's and edit this README — the **data folder spec** on the
resource site describes every file and column.*

## Cell suppression — read this before editing anything

The dashboard is public, so small numbers are protected:

- **Counts under 10 are written as the literal text `<10`** — not deleted,
  not blanked. The dashboard shows them as visibly masked cells.
- **Subtraction trap:** where a published total would let a masked value be
  recovered by subtraction, the next-smallest category is masked too.
- **No rate is published with a denominator under 10.**
- **Blank means "not yet observable"** (e.g. the newest cohort's rate) —
  never zero and never suppressed. Zero is written as 0; suppressed is `<10`.
- Sensitive program membership (disability services, foster youth,
  CalWORKs/CARE, veterans) is never crossed with demographics.
- Service units (counts / dollars / hours) are never summed across each
  other.

## Files

| File | One row per | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| `kpis_by_year.csv` | academic year | headcount, awards conferred, transfers to four-year, median units at completion, timely (3-year) completion rate |
| `awards_by_type_year.csv` | year × award type | awards by type (AA / AS / ADT / Certificate) |
| `equity_outcomes.csv` | metric × student group | students and outcome rate by race/ethnicity, gender, Pell status, special population |
| `equity_participation_share.csv` | program × student group | each group's share of students served vs. share of the college, proportionality index, disproportionate-impact flag, plain-language verdict |
| `students_served_by_program.csv` | year × program (+ ALL row) | unduplicated students served |
| `services_by_program_term.csv` | term × program | service contacts delivered, students served |
| `services_by_category_term.csv` | term × service category | amount by unit (count / dollars / hours), students served |
| `direct_aid_by_type.csv` | year × aid type | total disbursed by unit, students receiving |
| `narrative.json` | — | the college's short VAR narrative comments, by Vision 2030 goal |
| `metric_definitions.json` | — | plain-language definition, computation, and caveat for every metric |
| `data_notes.json` | — | college name, data source, years covered, suppression rule, disclaimers — feeds the dashboard's methodology footer |

## Notes on the sample data

- All numbers are synthetic. Crestwater Community College does not exist.
- The **workforce** tile has no local data by design — the dashboard shows
  an honest labeled placeholder pointing to the state's published figure.
- Equity gaps in the sample are deliberate, so the equity section has a
  realistic story to tell — including one flagged disproportionate impact.