U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
EDFactsSubmission System
C178 – Academic Achievement in Reading (Language Arts)
File Specifications
Version 11.0
SY 2014-15
June 2014
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC178 – Academic Achievement in Reading
(Language Arts)
File Specifications v11.0
This technical guide was produced under U.S. Department of Education Contract No. ED-PEP-09-O-0044 with 2020 Company, LLC. 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
Arne Duncan
Secretary
EDFacts
Ross Santy
System Owner
June2014
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: C178 –Academic Achievement in Reading (Language Arts) File Specification V11.0 (SY 2014-15),U.S. Department of Education,Washington, DC: 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 Alternate Format Center at (202) 260–0818.
DOCUMENT CONTROL
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
Title: / C178 – Academic Achievement in Reading (Language Arts) File SpecificationsRevision: / Version 11.0
Issue Date: / June 2014
Security Level: / Unclassified – For Official Use Only
Filename: / c178-11-0.doc
DOCUMENT HISTORY
Version Number / Date / Summary of Change1.0 – 10.1 / Versions 1.0 through 10.1 are used to build files for school years prior to SY 2014-15 under file spec N/X178
11.0 / June 2014 / Updated for SY 2014-15
- Table 2.2-1 Clarified zero, not applicable, and missing reporting guidance
- 2.4.4 Added ‘Which permitted values should be used?’
- 2.4.6 Clarified which CWDs should be excluded
- 2.4.11 Added ‘For what assessments are data reported?’
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 includes the error number, type, message, definition, edit logic, and the file specifications where the business rules 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 areauthorized by an Annual Mandatory Collection of Elementary and Secondary Education Data Through EDFacts (OMB 1875-0240, expires 02/29/2016). 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.
June2014 / 1 / SY 2014-15U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC178 – Academic Achievement in Reading
(Language Arts)
File Specifications v11.0
Contents
DOCUMENT CONTROL
PREFACE
1.0PURPOSE
2.0GUIDANCE FOR SUBMITTING THIS FILE
2.1Changes from the SY 2013-14 File Specifications
2.2Core Requirements for Submitting this File
2.3Required Categories and Totals
2.4Guidance
2.4.1Grade Level
2.4.2Performance Level
2.4.3Full Academic Year Status
2.4.4Major Racial and Ethnic Groups
2.4.5Sex (Membership)
2.4.6Disability Status (Only)
2.4.7LEP Status (RLA)
2.4.8Economically Disadvantaged Status
2.4.9Migrant Status
2.4.10Homeless Enrolled Status
2.4.11Assessment Administered
2.4.12States That Conduct Assessments in the Fall
2.4.13Reporting Academic Achievement Results for Children with Disabilities (IDEA) at the LEA Level
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
APPENDIX A: EDFACTS – CSPR CROSSWALK
APPENDIX B: EDFACTS – IDEA (ASSESSMENT) CROSSWALK
June2014 / 1 / SY 2014-15U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC178 – Academic Achievement in Reading
(Language Arts)
File Specifications v11.0
1.0PURPOSE
This document contains instructions for building files to submit EDFacts Data Group(DG584): Academic Achievement in Reading (Language Arts) Table.The definition for this data group is:
The unduplicated number of students who completed the state assessment in reading/language arts for whom a proficiency level was assigned.
The data reported using this file specification are used to monitor and report performance on programs and activities supported by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended. These data will be used as responses in the Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR).Appendix A contains a crosswalk between this file and section 1.3.2 of the CSPR.
The data collected using this file specification are collected under the authority of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 618. The data are used for monitoring the programs and activities under IDEA. Appendix B contains a crosswalk between this file and the applicable sections of OSEP legacy Table 6.
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 2013-14 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 / SchoolReporting Period / Testing Window
Education units reported / Include SEA / Operational LEAs that had students during the assessment testing window / Operational schools that had students during the assessment testing window
Education units not reported / Closed, inactive, or future LEAs / Closed, inactive, or future schools
Count / Once / Once at LEA in accordance with ESEA regulations / Only at one school where student was assessed
Zero counts / Required for all valid combinations / Not required; valid combinations for the state that are not included will be assumed to be zeros[*]
Zero exception / Assessment Administered – If a state doesnot use a permitted value (i.e., alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards and alternate assessments based on grade level achievement standards), the counts by that permitted value should be left out of the file.
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 2.4.4.
Not applicable / See Zero exceptions, above. / See Zero exceptions, above.
Leave LEAs/Schools that do not have students to report out of the file.
Missing / Use “-1” to report missing counts.
Use “MISSING” when a category is not available
2.3Required Categories and Totals
The table below lists the combinations of the categories and totals that are expected to be submitted for thestate 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 / Grade Level (Assessment) / Performance Level / Full Academic Year Status / Assessment Administered / Major Racial and Ethnic Groups / Sex (Membership) / Disability Status (Only) / LEP Status (RLA) / Economically Disadvantaged Status / Migrant Status / Homeless Enrolled Status / Total Indicator / CommentsCategory Set A / STUDPERFRLA / X / X / X / X / X / N / Student Count by Major Racial and Ethnic Groups, Assessment Administered, Full Academic Year Status, Grade Level (Assessment), Performance Level
Category Set B / STUDPERFRLA / X / X / X / X / X / N / Student Count by Sex (Membership), Assessment Administered, Full Academic Year Status, Grade Level (Assessment), Performance Level
Category Set C / STUDPERFRLA / X / X / X / X / X / N / Student Count by Disability Status (Only), Assessment Administered, Full Academic Year Status, Grade Level (Assessment), Performance Level
Category Set D / STUDPERFRLA / X / X / X / X / X / N / Student Count by LEP Status (RLA), Assessment Administered, Full Academic Year Status, Grade Level (Assessment), Performance Level
Category Set E / STUDPERFRLA / X / X / X / X / X / N / Student Count by Economically Disadvantaged Status Assessment Administered, , Full Academic Year Status, Grade Level (Assessment), Performance Level
Category Set F / STUDPERFRLA / X / X / X / X / X / N / Student Count by Migrant Status, Assessment Administered, Full Academic Year Status, Grade Level (Assessment), Performance Level
Category Set G / STUDPERFRLA / X / X / X / X / X / N / Student Count by Homeless Enrolled Status, Assessment Administered, Full Academic Year Status, Grade Level (Assessment), Performance Level
Subtotal 1 / STUDPERFRLA / X / X / X / X / Y / All Students by Assessment Administered, Full Academic Year Status, Grade Level (Assessment), Performance Level
2.4Guidance
This section contains guidance for submitting this file in the format of questions and answers.
Which students should be reported in this file?
Include all students who:
- Took the assessment,
- Received a valid score, and
- Were assigned a proficiency level.
Except as provided in the ‘Which students are not reported in this file?’ section below, if a student was reported as participating in C188, the student is also reported in the reading/language artsacademic achievement file.
This includes students who participated in regular assessments with or without accommodations; or alternate assessments including those based on grade level, modified, and alternate academic standards. Both students who were there for a full academic year and those not there for a full academic year are also included in this file.
The diagram below illustrates how the participation data relate to the reporting of data on academic achievement.
C188
REVISED! Which students are not reportedin this file?
Do not include students reported as a “non-participants” in C188 in the reading/language arts academic achievement file.
Do not include LEP students who have been in the U.S. less than 12 months and who took the English language proficiency assessment in lieu of the statewide reading/language arts assessment in this file.
What about recently-arrived LEP students?
If permitted by your state’s policy, recently-arrived LEP students[†] can take the English language proficiency assessment (ELP) in lieu of the reading/language arts assessment. If LEP students take this assessment, they are reported in C188 as participating through the ELP for the reading/language arts assessment.
However, the results of these students are not included in this file. Therefore, the number of students reported as participants in C188 will be higher than the number of students reported with results in C178 by exactly the number of LEP students who have been in the U.S. less than 12 month and who took the ELP in lieu of the reading/language arts assessment.
What if my state assigns non-participants to the lowest level of proficiency?
Those students are not reported in these files (for reporting academic achievement results).
Can my state report academic achievement data on its web site with non-participants assigned to the lowest level of proficiency?
Yes. The state will still report the academic achievement data to ED without including the non-participants. In this case, the data on assessments reported by the state will be different than the data on academic achievement reported to ED.
Are all students reported in all category sets?
No. All students should be reported in category set B (by sex (membership)) and in subtotal 1. For category set A (by major racial and ethnic groups), see question “what if some students are not assigned to a major racial and ethnic group” in section2.4.4. For the other category sets, only include the students who meet the definition of the category being collected. For example, category set C collects information on children with disabilities (IDEA). Do not include students who do not meet that definition in category set C.
In the case where a student’s race/ethnicity or sex is unknown and cannot be reported, leave these students out of the relevant category set (either Cat Set A-Major Racial and Ethnic Groups) or Cat Set B-Sex (Membership)), but include them in the Subtotal.
Do any other file specifications collect related data?
Yes. The matrix below illustrates the relationship between the data on the assessments and EDFacts data groups and files. This file collects data on academic achievement in reading/language arts.
Table 2.0-1: Related Files
Student ParticipationReading (Language Arts) / Mathematics / Science
C188, DG589 / C185, DG588 / C189, DG590
Academic Achievement
Reading (Language Arts) / Mathematics / Science
C178, DG584 / C175, DG583 / C179, DG585
2.4.1Grade Level
What grade levels should be reported?
LEA and school records should include all required grade levels that are present in the LEA or school. Reading/language arts assessments are requiredin grades 3 through 8 and once in high school. For example, a K-6 school should submit grades 3 through 6, but not 7, 8, and high school.”
State records must include academic achievement data for all required grades: 3 through 8 and once in high school.
Why do the permitted values include grades 9 through 12 as well as a value for “High School?”
The permitted values are provided so SEAs have more flexibility. For high school grades, assessment results can be reported by specific grade levels or by using the permitted value for high school (HS). Data reported by specific grade levels (i.e., 9, 10, 11, and 12) or high school (HS) will be used for reporting results of statewide assessments in high school. Do not report data using both specific grade level and the permitted value for high school (HS).
How are assessments of students in grade 9 reported?
ESEA, as amended, requires assessments in grades 3 through 8 and high school for reading/language arts. In ESEA, high school is explained as grades 10, 11, and 12. Students who took assessments in grade 9 should be reported either as grade 9 or as high school.
2.4.2Performance Level
What performance levels should be reported?
The data reported in academic achievement files are reported by state-defined academic achievement (performance) levels. In the files, the state-defined academic achievement levels are labeled as level 1 through level 6. A state must report at least 3 levels. The state defined academic achievement levels are specific to an assessment type. That is, the number (and name) of levels used for the alternate assessment on alternate achievement standards may be different than the number of levels used for the regular assessment, based on the state’s Accountability Workbook.
The above information is contained in the EMAPS Academic Achievement Levels survey and mapped accordingly. The academic achievement levels used in the academic achievement files must be the same as the academic achievement levels reported in EMAPS.
Level 1 must be reported as the lowest academic achievement level. Use the other numbers (i.e., 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) sequentially. Use only the numbers needed. For example, if a state has 4 academic achievement levels, the state will report data using numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. Number 1 will be the lowest level of performance and number 4 will be the highest level.
How do I get rid of the error: “Academic Achievement Level Numbers are not contiguous”?
This error message indicates that the file includes educational units that have some performance level counts, (L1, L2, L3…etc.) but not all. EDFacts expects that for each category included in the file, the list of performance levels will be contiguous, beginning with L1. Typically, this error message occurs when counts of zero are left out of the file. SEA submitters should make sure that each reported category has all levels used by the state represented to prevent this error from occurring.
For example, the state has 4 performance levels. A school in that state had no economically disadvantaged students scoring at levels 1, 2 and 4. The 55 economically disadvantaged students scored at level 3.
If the records are submitted as follows, the file will receive an error because levels 1 and 2 are missing.
100,06,01,123456,98765,STUDPERFRLA,05,,,,,,ECODIS,,,REGASSWOACC,L3,FULLYR,,N,,55
To avoid the error, the file must be submitted as follows:
100,06,01,123456,98765,STUDPERFRLA,05,,,,,,ECODIS,,,REGASSWOACC,L1,FULLYR,,N,,0
101,06,01,123456,98765,STUDPERFRLA,05,,,,,,ECODIS,,,REGASSWOACC,L2,FULLYR,,N,,0
102,06,01,123456,98765,STUDPERFRLA,05,,,,,,ECODIS,,,REGASSWOACC,L3,FULLYR,,N,,55
2.4.3Full Academic Year Status
Are students who were not present for the full academic year included in this file?