Regulatory Four-Year Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rate File Specification

Regulatory Four-Year Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rate File Specification

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

EDFactsSubmission System

C150 – Regulatory Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rates

File Specifications

Version 8.0

SY 2011-12

July 2012

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC150 – Regulatory Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rates

File Specifications v8.0


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

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

Carmel Martin

Assistant Secretary

July 2012

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,C150 – Regulatory Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rates 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: / C150 – Regulatory Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rates File Specifications
Revision: / Version 8.0
Issue Date: / July 2012
Security Level: / Unclassified – For Official Use Only
Filename: / c150-8-0.doc

DOCUMENT HISTORY

Version Number / Date / Summary of Change
1.0 – 7.0 / Versions 1.0 through 7.0 are used to build files for school years prior to SY 2011-12
8.0 / July 2012 /
  • Reformat and updated for SY 2011-12
  • Data group for six-year adjusted-cohort rate added
  • Appendix added

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 2012 / 1 / SY 2011-12

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC150 – Regulatory Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rates

File Specifications v8.0


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

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: REPORTING EXTENDED COHORT RATES……………………………….

March 2012 / 1 / SY 2011-12

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONC150 – Regulatory Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rates

File Specifications v8.0


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 / Definition
Regulatory four -year adjusted-cohort graduation rate table / 695 / The number of students who graduate in four years or less with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of students who formed the cohort.
Regulatory extended time five-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate table / 697 / The number of students who graduate in five years or less with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of students who formed the cohort.
Regulatory extended time six-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate table / 755 / The number of students who graduate in six years or less with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of students who formed the cohort.

The October 2008 Title I regulations require states to implement and report a four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate. States will use this file and file C151 to report their four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate data. Additional information about the 2008 Title I regulations can be found at:

The regulatory four-year cohort graduation rate (DG695) will be used to populate section 1.12.1 of the Consolidated State Performance Report.

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

There have been changes to this file specification that resulted in changes to the record layouts. The changes are:

  • Extended six-year adjusted cohort graduation rate added (DG755)
  • Appendix added about reporting extended-cohort graduation rates

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.

All states should report their four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates in this file(DG695). States that also have an ED-approved extended five-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate should submit that data also in this file (DG697); states with an ED-approved extended six-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate also should submit that data in this file (DG755).

Table 2.2-1: Core Reporting Requirements

SEA / LEA / School
Reporting Period / Entire school year
Education units reported / Include SEA / Operational LEAs with a 12th grade / Operational schools with a 12th grade
Education units not reported / Closed, inactive, or future LEAs
LEAs that do not have a 12th grade / Closed, inactive, or future schools
Schools that do not have a 12th grade
Type of counts / NA – This file collects a rate.
Zero counts / See question “What if the SEA, LEA, or school has no students in a subgroup?” in section 2.4 Guidance.

2.3Required Categories and Totals

The following table indicates the valid combinations of categories and the subtotals and/or totals needed for this 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 / Major Racial Ethnic Group / Disability Status (Only) / LEP Status (Only) / Economically Disadvantaged Status / Total Indicator / Comments
Category Set A / See table 2.2-4 / X / N / Rate by Major Racial and Ethnic Groups
Category Set B / See table 2.2-4 / X / N / Rate by Disability Status (Only)
Category Set C / See table 2.2-4 / X / N / Rate by LEP Status (Only)
Category Set D / See table 2.2-4 / X / N / Rate by Economically Disadvantaged Status
Total of the Education Unit / See table 2.2-4 / Y / Graduation Rate for All Students

The following table contains the table names used for this file’s data groups.

REVISED! Table 2.3-2Regulatory Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rates for High School, Table Names Used in Files

DG# / DG Name / Table Name used in file
695 / Regulatory four-year adjusted-cohort graduation ratetable / GRADRT4YRADJ
697 / Regulatory extended five-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate table / GRADRT5YRADJ
755 / Regulatory extended six-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate table / GRADRT6YRADJ

2.4Guidance

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

What is the difference among the data groups reported in this file?

A majority of states have been approved to calculate a graduation rate based on a four-year adjusted-cohort. That rate is defined below:

The regulatory four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate is the number of students who graduate in four years with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of students who formed the cohort for that graduating class.The four-year adjusted cohort rate also includes students who graduate in less than four years.

Only a few states are also approved by ED to calculate and report a graduation rate based on an extended-year adjusted-cohort. That rate is defined below:

The regulatory extended-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate is the number of students who graduate in the time period of the extended rate (i.e., five-year or six-year) with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of students who formed the cohort. The extended-year adjusted-cohort includes students who transferred into the cohort after year four and excludes students who transferred out, emigrated, or died after year four.

NOTE: If you report the regulatory four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates in this file, you mustreport the number of students in the cohort for the regulatory four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate in file C151. If you report the regulatory extended-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates in this file, you must report the number of students in the cohort for the regulatory extended-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates in file C151. For additional reporting guidance, see the appendix.

Where is more information about using adjusted-cohort graduation rates for accountability purposes available?

Refer to for the high school graduation rate non-regulatory guidance.

NEW! How should states, with ED-approved extended-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, report the extended-year rates?

Theextended five-year adjusted-cohort rate reported for SY 2011-12 is based on the 9th-grade cohort group of SY 2007-08. The extended six-year adjusted-cohort rate reported for SY 2011-12 is based on the 9th-grade cohort group of
SY 2006-07.

How is this file specification different from file specification C151 – Cohorts for Regulatory Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rate?

This file specification is used to report the cohort graduation rateas defined in ED’s October 2008 Title I regulations. File specification C151 is used to report the number of students in the adjusted-cohort used to calculate the regulatory adjusted-cohort graduation rate. States that report cohort graduation rates must report both files C150 and C151.

How does this file relate to Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) data?

A State can use itsSY 2010-11 graduation count data to determine its high school graduation rate indicators for SY 2011-12. Regardless of which year’s graduation count data are used for the high school graduation rate indicators, report SY2010-11 graduation count data in the SY 2010-11 file and SY 2011-12 graduation count data in the SY 2011-12 file.

What if the SEA, LEA, or school has no students in a subgroup?

If an SEA, LEA, or school has no students in a subgroup, leave those records out of the file. For example, if there are no LEP students, the file would not include records for category set C - LEP status (only).

How are graduation rates reported by major racial and ethnic groups?

Report students based on the major racial and ethnic groups as defined in the State’s approved Accountability Workbook.

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

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 groups?

States should use the permitted values for the major racial and ethnic subgroups as outlined in their State Accountability Workbook.

How are graduation rates reported by disability status (only)?

Include in the rate only students who meet the definition of children with disabilities (IDEA) in section 4.2 of the EDFacts Workbook.

How are graduation rates reported by LEP status (only)?

Include in the rate only students who meet the definition of limited English proficient (LEP) students in section 4.3 of the EDFacts Workbook.

How are graduation rates reported by economically disadvantaged status?

Include in the rate only students who meet the state’s definition of economically disadvantaged status.

How are students who change status in certain category groups (e.g., disability, LEP, or economically disadvantaged status) during high school reported in the cohort?

The business rules regarding the inclusion or exclusion of students based on statuses are SEA-defined. SEAs should have standards defined and universally applied with regards to students changing status in these groups from the beginning to the end of high school. For additional information, refer to question A-10 of the non-regulatory guidance, which can be found at:

What is the total for the education unit?

The total for the education unit is the graduation rate for all students in the regulatory adjusted-cohort.

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:

sslevGRADRTCOHvvvvvvv.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 / GRADRTCOH / 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 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

DataElementName / Start
Position / Length / Type / Pop / Definition/Comments / Permitted Values
File Type / 1 / 50 / String / M / Identifies the type of file being submitted. / SEA GRADUATION RATE ADJUSTED COHORT
LEA GRADUATION RATE ADJUSTED COHORT
SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE ADJUSTED COHORT
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. / 2011-2012
OR
2011 2012
Filler / 127 / 224 / String / M / Leave filler field blank.
Carriage Return/Line Feed (CRLF) / 351 / 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 Feed
Example / SCHOOLGRADUATIONRATEADJUSTEDCOHORT,18,EUSCHGRADRTCOHVER0007.csv,N150Rate,
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 the graduation rates for specific student subgroups and for all students for the education units.

Table 4.2–1: Data Records

DataElementName / Start
Position / Length / Type / Pop / Definition/Comments / Permitted Values
File Record Number / 1 / 10 / Number / M / A sequential number assigned by the State that is unique to each row entry within the file.
DG 559
FIPSState Code / 11 / 2 / String / M / The two-digit Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) for the state, District of Columbia, and the possessions and freely associated areas of the United States. / For a list of valid FIPS State Codes, refer to the EDFacts Workbook.
DG 570
State Agency Number / 13 / 2 / String / M / A number used to uniquely identify state agencies. This ID cannot be updated through this file. / 01– State Education Agency
DG 4
State LEA Identifier / 15 / 14 / String / M / The identifier assigned to a local education agency (LEA) by the state education agency (SEA). Also known as State LEA ID. This data element cannot be updated through this file. / SEA level - Blank
DG 5
StateSchool Identifier / 29 / 20 / String / M / The identifier assigned to a school by the state education agency (SEA). Also known as the States School Identification Number. This ID cannot be updated through this file. / SEA level – Blank
LEA level – Blank
REVISED!
Table Name / 49 / 20 / String / M / See Section 1.0 and Section 2.3 / GRADRT4YRADJ
GRADRT5YRADJ
GRADRT6YRADJ
Major Racial and Ethnic Groups / 69 / 15 / String / A / The major racial and ethnic groups states use for accountability and assessment dataas defined in the State’s approved Accountability Workbook. / MA - Asian
MAN - American Indian / Alaska Native or Native American
MAP - Asian / Pacific Islander
MB - Black (not Hispanic) or African American
MF - Filipino
MHL - Hispanic / Latino
MHN - Hispanic (not Puerto Rican)
MM - Multicultural or Multiethnic or Multiracial
MNP - Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander or Pacific Islander
MPR - Puerto Rican
MW - White (not Hispanic) or Caucasian
MISSING
Disability Status (Only) / 84 / 15 / String / A / An indication that children (students) are children with disabilities (IDEA). / WDIS–Children with one or more disabilities (IDEA)
MISSING
LEP Status (Only) / 99 / 15 / String / A / An indication that students are limited English proficient. / LEP–Limited English proficient (LEP) Student
MISSING
Economically Disadvantaged Status / 114 / 15 / String / A / An indication of whether students meet the state criteria for classification as economically disadvantaged. / ECODIS–Economically Disadvantaged (ED) Students
MISSING
Filler / 129 / 15 / String / M / Leave filler field blank.
Total Indicator / 144 / 1 / String / M / An indicator that defines the count level – see table 2.3-1 “Required Categories and Totals” / N–Specifies detail level
Y–Specifies a subtotal or education unit total level
Explanation / 145 / 200 / String / O / Text field for state use.
Student Rate / 345 / 6 / Decimal / M / Percentage, Numeric value of (5,4), with 100 percent represented as 1.0000.
Carriage Return/Line Feed (CRLF) / 351 / 1 / M /

Table 4.2–2: Data Record Example – School level