New grading system for City services announced

The City services can now finally be tracked and held accountable for achievements and…well, underachievements. CityScore is a new initiative that compiles metrics from various City departments every day to provide an at-a-glance view of the City’s overall performance, according to a press release.

CityScore currently tracks measures in public safety, economic development, education, innovation and technology, health and human services, basic City services and constituent satisfaction.

Scores are determined by comparing current performance to targets set by the city or a historical performance average. Scores may be at or above a target, which indicates that the City is surpassing those targets, or below, which indicates that they City is not meeting their targets.

CityScore measures performance in various departments within the city and uses metrics to roll all the data up into a single score, which indicates overall City performance. The data is broken down into a given day, week, month, and quarter.

“The City of Boston is using data in a way that no city has ever done before,” said Mayor Martin Walsh, according to the press release. “I am proud to launch this data platform that recommits us to our pledge of transparency and delivery of excellent city services. This overview of city metrics allows us to take immediate action within our departments to improve city services to make our city safer and smarter.”

In the spirit of competition, the dashboard has been designed to emulate the iconic scoreboard at Fenway Park. The CityScore dashboard can be viewed at cityofboston.gov/cityscore.

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