The estimates presented in this report were produced using the NCES Data Analysis System (DAS) for the NELS:88/2000 data. This DAS includes selected transcript variables from the PETS file. The DAS software makes it possible for users to specify and generate their own tables. With the DAS, users can replicate or expand upon the tables presented in this report. In addition to the table estimates, the DAS calculates proper standard errors² and weighted sample sizes for these estimates. If the number of valid cases is too small to produce a reliable estimate (fewer than 30 cases), the DAS prints the message “low-N” instead of the estimate.

In addition to tables, the DAS will also produce a correlation matrix of selected variables to be used for linear regression models. Included in the output with the correlation matrix are the design effects (DEFTs) for each variable in the matrix. Since statistical procedures generally compute regression coefficients based on simple random sample assumptions, the standard errors must be adjusted with the design effects to take into account the stratified sampling method used in the NELS surveys.

The DAS can be accessed electronically at http://nces.ed.gov/
das. For more information about the NELS Data Analysis System, contact:

Aurora D’Amico
Postsecondary Studies Division
National Center for Education Statistics
1990 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006–5652
(202) 502–7334
Aurora.D’Amico@ed.gov