U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
EDFactsSubmission System
C173 – Status – Flexibility Subgroups File Specifications
Version 8.1
SY 2011-12
March 2013
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC173 – Status – Flexibiity Subgroups
File Specifications v8.1
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
Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development
Carmel Martin
Assistant Secretary
March 2013
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: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development,FILE 173 – Status – Flexibility Subgroups File Specifications, Washington, D.C., 2012.
This technical guide is also available on the Department’s Web site at:
On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print, or computer diskette. For more information, please contact the Department’s AlternateFormatCenter at (202) 260–0852 or (202) 260–0818.
DOCUMENT CONTROL
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
Title: / C173 – Status – Flexibility Subgroups File SpecificationsRevision: / Version 8.1
Issue Date: / March 2013
Security Level: / Unclassified – For Official Use Only
Filename: / c173-8-1.doc
DOCUMENT HISTORY
Version Number / Date / Summary of Change1.0 – 7.0 / This is a new file spec for SY 2011-12 so there are no prior versions.
8.0 / November 2012 / New file spec for SY 2011-12.
8.1 / March 2013 / Updated the version number per user request due to fact that Status length is 15 characters but at one point had been 10. This had caused a mix-up on the user’s system.
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 including the EDFacts Workbook, ESS User Guide and the Business Rules Guide.
Data submitted through the ESS are authorized by an Annual Mandatory Collection of Elementary and Secondary Education Data Through EDFacts (OMB 1875-0240, expires 9/30/2013). 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.
March 2013 / 1 / SY 2011-12U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC173 – Status – Flexibiity Subgroups
File Specifications v8.1
Contents
DOCUMENT CONTROL
PREFACE
1.0PURPOSE
2.0GUIDANCE FOR SUBMITTING THIS FILE
2.1Changes from the SY 2010-11 File Specifications
2.2Core Requirements for Submitting this File
2.3Required Categories and Totals
2.4Guidance
2.4.1Participation Status
2.4.2AMO Status
2.4.3High School Graduation Rate Indicator Status
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
March 2013 / 1 / SY 2011-12U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC173 – Status – Flexibiity Subgroups
File Specifications v8.1
1.0PURPOSE
This document contains instructions for building files to submit the following EDFacts data groups:
Table 1.0-1:EDFacts data groups
Data Group Name / DG / DefinitionMathematics participation status table – Flex / 766 / An indication of whether the school or district met the 95 percent participation requirement on the mathematics assessment in accordance with state definition.
Reading/language arts participation status table – Flex / 767 / An indication of whether the school or district met the 95 percent participation requirement on the reading/language arts assessment in accordance with state definition.
AMO mathematics status table - Flex / 768 / An indication of whether the school or district met the
mathematics proficiency target in accordance with state definition.
AMO reading/language arts status table - Flex / 769 / An indication of whether the school or district met the
reading/language arts proficiency target in accordance with state definition.
High school graduation rate indicator status table – flex / 770 / An indication of whether the school or district met the High School Graduation Rate requirement in accordance with state definition.
The data collected using this file specification are required to provide transparency around SEA implementation of new reforms and accountability measures under ESEA Flexibility requests. This file needs to be submitted only by states with approved ESEA Flexibility requests that include the use of combined subgroups.
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 2010-11 File Specifications
Not applicable – This is a new file specification.
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 / School year
The status in this file can be viewed as a final result for the school year. For example, the status for SY 2011-12 is based on assessments administered and other activities during SY 2011-12.
Education units included / This file is not submitted at the SEA level / Operational LEAs that have operational schools / Operational schools
Education units notreported / Closed, inactive, or future LEAs / Closed, inactive, or future schools
2.3Required Categories and Totals
The following table indicates the valid combinations of categories needed for this file. An “X” in the column indicates that the column must be populated when reporting that particular category. The total indicator must be “N” (No). The abbreviations in the “Table Name” column represent the technical name of the data used in the file.
Table 2.3–1: Required Categories and Totals
Data Group Name / DG ID / Aggregation / Table Name / Flexibility Subgroups / Total Indicator / CommentsMathematics participation status table – Flex / 766 / Category Set A / FLEXMATPARST / X / N / Status for each flexibility subgroup
Reading/language arts participation status table – Flex / 767 / Category Set A / FLEXRLAPARST / X / N / Status for each flexibility subgroup
AMO mathematics status table - Flex / 768 / Category Set A / FLEXAMOSTATMATH / X / N / Status for each flexibility subgroup
AMO reading/language arts status table - Flex / 769 / Category Set A / FLEXAMOSTATRLA / X / N / Status for each flexibility subgroup
High school graduation rate indicator status table – flex / 770 / Category Set A / FLEXHSGRDRTIND / X / N / Status for each flexibility subgroup
2.4Guidance
This section contains guidance for submitting this file in the format of questions and answers.
2.4.1Participation Status
Are students who were not enrolled for the full academic year included?
Yes, for mathematics and reading/language arts, the participation status is based on all students, including both those enrolled for a full academic year and those students not enrolled for a full academic year.
What are the permitted values for participation status?
For any school or district, the Mathematics Participation status has one of the following statuses for the various student subgroups and for all students:
- MET: The school or district met the 95% Mathematics Participation rate for the specific student subgroup or all students.
- NOTMET: The school or district did not meet the 95% Mathematics Participation rate for the specific student subgroup or all students.
- TOOFEW: The number of students in a specific student subgroup or all students was less than the minimum group size outlines in a state’s Accountability Workbook necessary to reliably calculate the Mathematics Participation status.
- NOSTUDENTS: There were no students in the subgroup. If a school or district had no students in a specific subgroup, the status should be reported as "NOSTUDENTS." (If no students are in the school or district, the school or district should not be included in this file.)
- MISSING: The Mathematics Participation status for a specific school or district was not available at the time the file was prepared.
Why is “NA – Not applicable” a permitted value for participation status?
Districts that are not required to meet the Mathematics participation status due to exceptional circumstances should be left out of the file. However, if an SEA decided to include them in the file they should be reported as “NA – Not applicable.” This status is not used in conjunction with the other statuses. If a subgroup of students was not present in a district or school, the status is reported as “NOSTUDENTS.”
Do any other file specifications collect related data?
Yes. Files 108 and 110 collect participation status for mathematics and reading/language arts, respectively, for all students and ESEA subgroups.
2.4.2AMO Status
What are the permitted values for status?
For any school or district, the Mathematics and Reading/Language Arts AMOs have one of the following statuses for the various subgroups and for all students:
- MET: Met – regular determination - The school or district met the Reading/Language Arts AMO for the specific student subgroups or for all students, as outlined in the state’s consolidated accountability workbook.
- SAFEHARBOR: Met because of safe harbor - The school or district met the Reading/Language Arts AMO for the specific student subgroup or for all students through safe harbor, as outlined in the state’s consolidated accountability workbook.
- GROWTH: Met – growth model - The school or district met the Reading/Language Arts AMO for the specific student subgroups or for all students through the state’s participation in the Department’s Growth Model Pilot Program (see:
- NOTMET: Not met - The school or district did not meet the Reading/Language Arts AMO for the specific student subgroup or for all students.
- TOOFEW: Too few students for reliability - The number of students in the specific student subgroup or in all students enrolled for a full academic year, as defined by the state, was less than the state’s minimum group size to validly and reliably calculate whether the subgroup or all students met the AMO for Reading/Language Arts.
- NOSTUDENTS: No students in the subgroup - If a school or district has no students in a specific subgroup, the status should be reported as "NOSTUDENTS." (If no students are in the school or district, the school or district should not be included in this file.)
- MISSING: The Reading/Language Arts AMO status for a specific school or district is not available at the time the file is prepared.
Why is “NA – Not applicable” a permitted value?
Districts that are not required to meet the Reading/Language Arts AMO due to exceptional circumstances should be left out of the file. However, if an SEA decides to include them in the file they should be reported as “NA – Not applicable.” This status is not used in conjunction with the other statuses.
Why is “NOSTUDENTS” a permitted value?
If a subgroup of students is not present in a district or school, the status is reported as “NOSTUDENTS.”
What are the permitted values for ESEA flexibility subgroups?
The permitted values are:
- B25 - Bottom 25 percent of students
- B30 - Bottom 30 percent of students
- T25 - Top 25 percent of students
- T30 - Top 30 percent of students
- T75 - Top 75 percent of students
- HNS - High needs students (any combination of English learners, students with disabilities (IDEA), and/or economically disadvantaged)
- HDS - Historically disadvantaged racial/ethnic minority students (any combination of African American, Hispanic, and/or Native American)
- HNSHDS - High needs students including historically disadvantaged racial/ethnic minority students (any combination of English learners, students with disabilities (IDEA), economically disadvantaged, African American, Hispanic, and/or Native American)
- REMS - Racial/ethnic minority students (any combination of all racial/ethnic minority students in a state)
- NPS - Non-proficient students
- OTH - Other
Which permitted values should be used?
States should use whichever permitted values best align with the flexibility subgroups in the approved ESEA flexibility request.
Do any other file specifications collect related data?
Yes. Files 109 and 111 collect AMO status for mathematics and reading/language arts, respectfully, for all students and ESEA subgroups.
2.4.3High School Graduation Rate Indicator Status
What are the permitted values for status?
For any school or district, the high school graduation rate indicator has one of the following statuses for each student subgroup and for all students:
- METGOAL – The school or district met the goal for the high school graduation rate indicator for a student subgroup or for all students.
- METTARGET - The school or district met the target for the high school graduation rate indicator for a student subgroup or for all students.
- NOTMETADDIND: The school or district did not meet the high school graduation rate indicator for a student subgroup or for all students.
- TOOFEW: The number of students in the school or district or for a student subgroup was less than the minimum group size outlines in a state’s consolidated accountability workbook necessary required to reliably calculate the high school graduation rate indicator.
- NOSTUDENTS: There are no students in a student subgroup. If no students are in the school or district, the school or district should not be included in this file. However, if schools or districts with no students are included in the file, the status would be “NOSTUDENTS.”
- MISSING: The status of the high school graduation rate indicator for a specific school or district is not available at the time the file is prepared.
- NA – Schools or districts that are not required to meet the high school graduation rate indicator.
What is the difference between met (goal) and met (target)?
A state’s graduation rate goal represents the graduation rate that the state expects all high schools in the state to meet, ultimately. A state’s annual graduation rate target reflects continuous and substantial improvement from the prior year toward meeting or exceeding the graduation rate goal. A school can meet the goal or meet the target to make adequate yearly progress on the other academic indicator.
Why is “NA – Not applicable” a permitted value for status?
Schools or districts that are not required to meet the high school graduation rate indicator (for example, elementary schools).”
Do any other file specifications collect related data?
Yes. File 107 collects the high school graduation rate status for all students and ESEA subgroups.
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:
sslevFLXSTATUSvvvvvvv.ext
Table 3.0-1: File Naming Convention
Where / Means / Limit in charactersss / USPS State Abbreviation / 2
lev / Abbreviation for level:
- LEA for an Local Education Agency level
- SCH for a school level
filename / FLXSTATUS / 9
vvvvvvv / Alphanumeric string designated by the SEA to uniquely identify the individual submission (e.g., ver1731, 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 files 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 / StartPosition / Length / Type / Pop / Definition / Comments / Permitted Values
File Type / 1 / 50 / String / M / Identifies the type of file being submitted. / LEASTATUS FOR FLEXIBILITY SUBGROUPS
SCHOOLSTATUS FOR FLEXIBILITY SUBGROUPS
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 / 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. / 2011-2012
OR
2011 2012
Filler / 127 / 333 / String / M / Leave filler field blank.
Carriage Return / Line Feed (CRLF) / 460 / 1 / M /
Table 4.1–2: Header Record Example
Format / File Type, Total Records in File, File Name, File Identifier, File Reporting Period, Filler, Carriage Return/Line FeedExample / LEASTATUSFORFLEXIBILITYSUBGROUPS,15,EULEAFLXSTATUSver1737.CSV,Euphoria SEA Version 7.0,2011-2012,¶
4.2Data Record Definition
Data records are required and immediately follow the header record in every file submitted to the ESS. Data records provide counts for the specified category sets, subtotals and education unit totals.