U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

EDFactsSubmission System

C161 – High School Graduates Postsecondary Credit Earned

File Specifications

Version 12.4

SY 2015-16

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC161 – High School Graduates Postsecondary Credits Earned


File Specifications v12.4

This technical guide was produced under U.S. Department of Education Contract No. ED-PEP-14-O-5013 with Applied Engineering Management Corporation. Brandon Scott served as the contracting officer’s representative. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inferred.

U.S. Department of Education

John King, Jr.

Secretary of Education

EDFacts

Ross Santy

System Owner

This technical guide is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: FILE XXX – File Name File Specification – VXX.XX (SY XXXX-XX),U.S. Department of Education Washington, D.C: EDFacts. Retrieved [date] from

On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print, or CD Rom. For more information, please contact the Department’s AlternateFormatCenter at (202) 260–0818.

DOCUMENT CONTROL

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

Title: / C161 – High School Graduates Postsecondary Credits Earned File Specifications
Security Level: / Unclassified – For Official Use Only
Filename: / C161-12-4.doc

DOCUMENT HISTORY

Version Number / Date / Summary of Change
1.0-11.0 / Versions 1.0 – 11.0 are used to build files for school years prior to SY 2015-16.
12.0 / April2015 / Updated for SY 2015-16
  • 2.4 Added questions and answers (marked “NEW!”) about the steps to creating the LEA and school level files.

12.1 / December 2015 / Corrected guidance on closed schools
  • 2.2 – Corrected guidance on LEA and school level reporting in the core requirements table
  • 2.4 – Corrected guidance for the question “How are students reported when the school that graduated them subsequently closes or merges with another school?”

12.2 / February 2016 / Corrected guidance on closed/merged LEAs
  • 2.4 – Corrected guidance for the question “How are students reported when the LEA that graduated them subsequently closes or merges with another LEA?

12.3 / June 2016 / Corrected guidance on reporting period
  • 2.4 – Corrected year reference for students in the Graduates/Completers file (C040) in the question “What is the reporting period?”

12.4 / August 2016 / Updated guidance on creating LEA and SCH level files
  • 2.4 – Updated guidance on creating LEA and SCH level files for closed LEAs and schools

PREFACE

This document provides technical instructions for building files that are submitted through the EDFacts Submission System (ESS). The ESS is an electronic system that facilitates the efficient and timely transmission of data from SEAs to the U.S. Department of Education.

This document is to be used in coordination with other documentation posted on under EDFacts System Documentation, including:

  • EDFacts Workbook – a reference guide to using the EDFacts Submission System (ESS); particularly useful to new users; contains multiple appendices, including one that explains how to use the file specifications.
  • ESS User Guide – provides assistance to new users of the EDFacts Submission System (ESS); it addresses the basic mechanics of system access and data submission.
  • EDFacts Business Rules Guide – describes each business rule, including the error number, type, message, definition, edit logic, and the file specifications where the business riles are applied.

Please contact the Partner Support Center (PSC) with questions about the documents. You will find contact information for PSC and each State EDFacts Coordinator at:

Data submitted through the ESS are authorized by an Annual Mandatory Collection of Elementary and Secondary Education Data Through EDFacts (OMB 1875-0240, expires 2/29/2016). EDFacts is a U.S. Department of Education (ED) initiative to govern, acquire, validate, and use high-quality, kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) performance data for education planning, policymaking, and management and budget decision-making to improve outcomes for students. EDFacts centralizes data provided by SEAs, LEAs and schools, and provides users with the ability to easily analyze and report data. This initiative has significantly reduced the reporting burden for state and local data producers, and has streamlined data collection, analysis and reporting functions at the federal, state and local levels.

August2016 / 1 / SY 2015-16

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC161 – High School Graduates Postsecondary Credits Earned


File Specifications v12.4

Contents

DOCUMENT CONTROL

PREFACE

1.0PURPOSE

2.0GUIDANCE FOR SUBMITTING THIS FILE

2.1Changes from the SY 2014-15 File Specifications

2.2Core Requirements for Submitting this File

2.3Required Categories and Totals

2.4Guidance

2.5Definitions

3.0FILE NAMING CONVENTION

4.0FIXED OR DELIMITED FILES

4.1Header Record Definition

4.2Data Record Definition

5.0XML SPECIFICATIONS

5.1Category XML Object

5.2Table Type XML Object

5.3Agency XML Object

5.4File Transmit XML Object

August2016 / 1 / SY 2015-16

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC161 – High School Graduates Postsecondary Credits Earned


File Specifications v12.4

1.0PURPOSE

This document contains instructions for building files to submit EDFacts Data Group(DG740): High school graduates postsecondary credits earned table.. The definition for this data group is:

Students who enroll in a publicinstitution of higher education (IHE) (as defined in section 101(a) of the HEA) in the state within 16 months of receiving a regular high school diploma and who complete at least one year's worth of college credit applicable to a degree within two years of enrollment in the IHE.

The data collected using this file specification are used to report on participating states’ performance in the Race to the Top Fund, authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

2.0GUIDANCE FOR SUBMITTING THIS FILE

This section contains changes from the previous school year, core requirements for submitting this file, required categories and totals, and general guidance.

2.1Changes from the SY 2014-15 File Specifications

The guidance has been updated and other editorial changes have been made. These changes are listed in the document history on page ii. There have been no changes to the record layouts.

2.2Core Requirements for Submitting this File

The following table contains the reporting period, the education units included or excluded, the type of count, and zero count reporting.

Table 2.2-1: Core Reporting Requirements

SEA / LEA / School
Reporting Period / See “What is the reporting period” in section 2.0
Revised!Education units reported / Include SEA / Operational LEAs that had a 12th grade four school years prior to the current school year. / Schools that were operational and had a 12th grade four school years prior to the current school year.
Revised!Education units not reported / LEAs reported as closed, inactive, or future
LEAs that did not have a 12th grade four school years prior to the current school year. / Schools reported as closed, inactive, or future
Schools that did not have a 12th grade four school years prior to the current school year.
Type of count / Once / Once at the LEA where the students graduated four school years prior / Once at the school where the students graduated four school years prior
Zero counts / Required for all valid combinations / Not required; valid combinations for the state not included will be assumed to be zeros
Zero exceptions and
Not Applicable / Major Racial and Ethnic Groups - If a state does not use a permitted value, the counts by that permitted value should be left out of the file. See section 2.4.
Leave LEAs/Schools that do not have students to report out of the file
Missing / Use “-1” to Report missing counts.
If no information is available by students’ postsecondary enrollment, report the students using the Postsecondary Enrollment Action permitted value of “no information.”
If data by a student subgroup are not available, use MISSING.
Related metadata survey

2.3Required Categories and Totals

The table below lists the combinations of the categories and totals that are expected to be submitted for the state and each LEA or school that should be included in the file.

  • An “X” in the column indicates that the category valuemust be submittedwhen reporting that aggregation.
  • The total indicator must be either “Y” (Yes) or “N” (No).
  • If the record is for a category set, specify an “N” (No).
  • If the record is for a subtotal or education unit total, specify a “Y” (Yes).
  • The abbreviationsin the “Table Name” column represent the technical name of the data used in the file.

Table 2.3–1: Required Categories and Totals

Category Set / Table Name / Postsecondary Credit / Major Racial and Ethnic Groups / Sex (Membership) / Disability Status (Only) / LEP Status (Only) / Economically Disadvantaged Status / Total Indicator / Comments
Category Set A / HSGPSCE / X / X / N / Student Count by postsecondary credit and major racial and ethnic groups
Category Set B / HSGPSCE / X / X / N / Student Count by postsecondary credit and sex (membership)
Category Set C / HSGPSCE / X / X / N / Student Count by postsecondary credit and disability status (only)
Category Set D / HSGPSCE / X / X / N / Student Count by postsecondary credit and LEP status (only)
Category Set E / HSGPSCE / X / X / N / Student Count by postsecondary credit and economically disadvantaged status
Subtotal 1 / HSGPSCE / X / Y / Subtotal by postsecondary credit

2.4Guidance

This section contains guidance for submitting this file in the format of questions and answers.

What is the reporting period?

For SY 2015-16, a state would report on the students who graduated with a regular high school diploma from a public high school within the state in SY 2011-12 and enrolled in an institution of higher education (IHE) within 16 months of graduation. That is, report on those students who were included in the Graduates/Completers file (C40) for SY 2011-12 as having graduated with a regular high school diploma and enrolled in a public IHE within 16 months of graduation.

Figure 2.4-1 Reporting Period for High School Graduates Postsecondary Credits Earned

SY 2011-12
Reported in N/X040
Graduates/Completers as “regular high school diploma” for “diploma/credential” / SY 2012-13 / SY 2013-14 / SY 2014-15 / SY 2015-16

NEW! What are the steps to create the LEA- and School-level files?

Steps to create the LEA-level file:

  1. Begin with the LEA-level directory from five school years prior (SY2011-12). Only include operational LEAs that have a 12th grade. Report on only the students that graduated with a regular high school diploma in N/X040.
  2. Identify whether the students in the schools from step 1 have since enrolled in an IHE within 16 months of graduating.
  3. Identify whether the students in the schools from step 2 have completed at least one year’s worth of college credit, applicable to a degree, within 24 months of enrollment in an IHE.
  4. Revised!Compare the LEAs to report on with the current year directory (SY2015-16)
  5. If the LEA in which the students graduated from is still open, report the students under the LEA.
  6. If the LEA in which the students graduated is reported as closed, determine if there is another LEA in which the students can be attributed to.
  7. If yes, report the students under the LEA.
  8. If no, report the students only at the SEA-level.

Steps to create the school-level file:

  1. Begin with the school-level directory from two school years prior (SY2013-14). Only include operational schools that have a 12th grade. Report on only the students that graduated with a regular high school diploma in N/X040.
  2. Identify whether the students in the schools from step 1 have since enrolled in an IHE within 16 months of graduating.
  3. Identify whether the students in the schools from step 2 have completed at least one year’s worth of college credit, applicable to a degree, within 24 months of enrollment in an IHE.
  4. Revised!Compare the schools to report on with the current year directory (SY2015-16).
  5. If the school in which the students graduated from is still open, report the students under the school.
  6. If the school in which the students graduated is reported as closed, report the students at the LEA and SEA levels only.

What students should be reported in this file?

Include only students graduating from high school in SY 2011-12 who enroll in a public IHE (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965) in the state within 16 months of receiving a regular high school diploma. Report on whether these students completed at least one year’s worth of college credit, applicable to a degree, within 24 months of enrollment in the IHE.

Do students attending institutions of higher education (IHEs) outside of the state where they graduated from public high school need to be included?

No.

Do students who attend private IHEs within the state need to be included?

No.

What are the permitted values for postsecondary enrollment action?

The permitted values are:

  • No information on credits earned since enrolling (NO)
  • Completed at least one year’s worth of credit (applicable to a degree) within two years of enrollment in the IHE (COMP1Y)
  • Did not complete at least one year’s worth of credit (applicable to a degree) within two years of enrollment in the IHE (NOCOMP1Y)

What constitutes “one year’s worth of credit?”

Each state defines “one year’s worth of credit.”

Revised!How are students reported when the school that graduated them subsequently closes or merges with another school?

These students should be reported in the LEA- and SEA-level files only.

How are students reported when the LEA that graduated them subsequently closes or merges with another LEA?

Students who graduated from an LEA that has subsequently closed or merged with another LEA as of the previous school year should be attributed to an LEA whenever possible and reported at the LEA level. For example, if the LEA merged with another LEA, then the students would be attributed to the merged LEA. If attribution is not possible, then the students are not reported at the LEA level. The following is a simplified decision tree:

  • Identify universe of students who graduated
  • Is the LEA that graduated the students operational in the current school year?
  • Yes – Report the students in the LEA level file
  • No – Was the LEA that graduated the students operational during the previous school year but reported closed as of the current school year?
  • Yes – Only report students at the SEA level.
  • No – Is there another LEA where students can be attributed?
  • Yes – Report the students in the LEA level file under the attributed LEA
  • No – Leave the students out of the LEA file and report the students in the SEA file only

What are the permitted values for the category major racial and ethnic group?

The permitted values are:

  • White (not Hispanic) / Caucasian
  • Black (not Hispanic) / African American
  • Hispanic / Latino – use if includes Puerto Ricans
  • Hispanic (not Puerto Rican)
  • Puerto Rican
  • Asian – Use if doesn’t include Pacific Islanders
  • Asian / Pacific Islander
  • American Indian / Alaska Native / Native American
  • Multicultural / Multiethnic / Multiracial / Other
  • Filipino
  • Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander / Pacific Islander

Which permitted values should be used for the category major racial and ethnic?

States should use whichever permitted values best align with the major racial ethnic subgroups used to determine adequate yearly progress (AYP) as outlined in their State Accountability Plan.

When reporting the major racial-ethnic values, use one of the following sets of values for Asian populations:

  • Asian/Pacific Islander
  • Asian
  • Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

Do not use the combinations of either ‘Asian/Pacific Islander and Asian’ or ‘Asian/Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Using these combinations may lead to duplicated counts and do not allow data to be rolled up to a higher level for privacy/small cell purposes.

2.5Definitions

Institution of Higher Education (IHE)

An IHE is defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA).

See the EDFacts Workbook ( ) for the standard definitions. This file specification has no additional definitions.

3.0FILE NAMING CONVENTION

The following file naming convention is to help identify files to provide technical assistance.

A maximum of 25 characters (including the file extension) is allowed for the file name.

The following is the naming convention for file submissions:

sslevHSGPSCEvvvvvvv.ext

Table 3.0-1: File Naming Convention

Where / Means / Limit in characters
ss / USPS State Abbreviation / 2
lev / Abbreviation for level:
  • SEA for an State Education Agency level
  • LEA for an Local Education Agency level
  • SCH for a school level
/ 3
filename / HSGPSCE / 9
vvvvvvv / Alphanumeric string designated by the SEA to uniquely identify the individual submission (e.g., ver0001, v010803) / 7
.ext / Extension identifying the file format:
.txt – fixed
.csv – comma delimited
.tab – tab delimited
.xml – XML / 4

4.0FIXED OR DELIMITED FILES

This section describes the fixed file and delimited file specifications. The fixed file and delimited file contain a header record followed by data records. The file type is specified in the header record.

The “Pop” column in the header and data records is coded as follows:

M - Mandatory, this field must always be populated

A - This field is populated in accordance with table 2.3-1 “Required Categories and Totals”

O - Optional, data in this field are optional

4.1Header Record Definition

The header record is required and is the first record in every file submitted to the ESS. The purpose of the header record is to provide information as to the file type, number of data records in the file, file name, file identifier, and file reporting period.

Table 4.1–1: Header Record

Data Element Name / Start
Position / Length / Type / Pop / Definition / Comments / Permitted Values
Abbreviations
File Type / 1 / 50 / String / M / Identifies the type of file being submitted. / SEA HS GRAD POSTSEC CREDITS EARNED
LEA HS GRAD POSTSEC CREDITS EARNED
SCHOOL HS GRAD POSTSEC CREDITS EARNED
Total Records in File / 51 / 10 / Number / M / The total number of Data Records contained in the file. The header record is NOT included in this count
File Name (Including file extension) / 61 / 25 / String / M / The file name including extension, the same as the external file name. / See section 3.0
File Identifier / 86 / 32 / String / M / Any combination of standard characters to further identify the file as specified by the SEA (e.g., a date, person’s name, and version number).
File Reporting Period / 118 / 9 / String / M / The school year for which data are being reported. The required format is "CCYY–CCYY" or "CCYY CCYY", where either a hyphen or a space separates the beginning and ending years. / 2015-2016
OR
2015 2016
Filler / 127 / 243 / String / M / Leave filler fields blank.
Carriage Return / Line Feed (CRLF) / 370 / 1 / M /

Below is an example of a header record.