Free Publications - Education Data Standards and Codes

The National Forum on Education Statistics develops free resources on a variety of issues that affect schools, school districts, and state education agencies. Each publication is based on extensive, objective research and the collective experience and expertise of a wide variety of education professionals. Past publications are reviewed and updated periodically to keep up with changes in a dynamic educational system.

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Education Data Standards and Codes

		Prior-to-Secondary School Course Classification System: School Codes for the Exchange of Data (SCED) (2011) This document provides a taxonomy and course descriptions intended to help schools and education agencies maintain longitudinal information about students’ coursework in an efficient, standardized format that facilitates the exchange of records as students transfer from one school, district, state, or level to another.
		PDF (6 MB)	Print Copy
		NCES Nonfiscal Data Handbook for Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education The NCES Handbooks define standard education terms for students, staff, schools, local education agencies, intermediate education agencies, and state education agencies.
		Link	Print version not available
		Forum Guide to Metadata: The Meaning Behind Education Data (2009) This document offers best practice concepts, definitions, implementation strategies, and templates/tools for an audience of data, technology, and program staff in state and local education agencies.
		PDF (2.4 MB)	Print Copy	Browse
		Every School Day Counts: The Forum Guide to Collecting and Using Attendance Data (2009) This Forum guide offers best practice suggestions on collecting and using student attendance data to improve performance. It includes a standard set of codes to make attendance data comparable across districts and states.
		PDF (1.7 MB)	Print Copy	Browse
		Education Data Model Version 1 (PK-12) (2009) The Education Data Model Version 1 (PK-12) is a catalogue of the data used in PK-12 education and a description of the relationships among those data.
		Link	Print version not available
		Managing an Identity Crisis: Forum Guide to Implementing New Federal Race and Ethnicity Categories (2008) This best-practice guide is developed to assist state and local education agencies in their implementation of the new federal race and ethnicity categories—thereby reducing redundant efforts within and across states, improving data comparability, and minimizing reporting burden.
		PDF (6 MB)	Print Copy	Browse
		Forum Guide to Core Finance Data Elements (2007) This document provides an overview of key finance data terms. It also covers the 2 NCES public school finance surveys: the state-level National Public Education Financial Survey and the School District Finance Survey (or F-33).
		PDF (2.4 MB)	Print Copy
		NCES Handbooks Online State Customization Tool This is the Content Administrator site for NCES Handbooks Online (which defines standard education terms for students, staff, schools, local education agencies, intermediate education agencies, and state education agencies).
		Link	Print version not available
		Secondary School Course Classification System: School Codes for the Exchange of Data (SCED) (2007) This NCES data handbook provides taxonomy for assigning standard codes to secondary school courses in 22 major subject areas.
		PDF (911 KB)
		Forum Guide to Elementary/Secondary Virtual Education (2006) This guide provides recommendations for collecting accurate, comparable, and useful data about virtual education in an elementary/secondary education setting.
		PDF (842 KB)	Print Copy
		Accounting for Every Student: A Taxonomy for Standard Student Exit Codes (2006) This "best practice" guide presents an exhaustive and mutually exclusive exit code taxonomy that accounts, at any single point in time, for all students enrolled (or previously enrolled) in a particular school or district.
		PDF (1 MB)	Print Copy
		Forum Guide to Education Indicators (2005) The Forum Guide to Education Indicators provides encyclopedia-type entries for 44 commonly used education indicators. Each indicator entry contains a definition, recommended uses, usage caveats and cautions, related policy questions, data element components, a formula, commonly reported subgroups, and display suggestions.
		PDF (1 MB)	Print Copy
		NCES Financial Accounting for Local and State School Systems: 2003 Edition (2003) This NCES Handbook is designed to be the national standard for state departments of education when reporting financial data and for school districts when preparing comprehensive annual financial reports (CAFRs).
		Link	Print version not available
		Facilities Information Management: A Guide for State and Local Education Agencies (2003) This Guide provides a framework for identifying a basic set of school facilities data elements and definitions that will meet the information needs of school and community decision makers, school facility managers, and the general public.
		PDF (577 KB)	Print Copy	Browse

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Publications of the National Forum on Education Statistics do not undergo the formal review required for products of the National Center for Education Statistics. The information and opinions published here are the product of the National Forum on Education Statistics and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the U.S. Department of Education or the National Center for Education Statistics.