Transcript studies collect information on (1) the academic courses that individual students completed in high school or at college or university, (2) what type of diploma(s) or degree(s) those students earned, and (3) when they received them. This supplemental note describes how indicators in this volume of The Condition of Education use transcript data and the categorization schema used in their analysis.

Indicators 21 and 22 use data from the postsecondary transcript studies done as part of NCES longitudinal studies of academic cohorts:

• 1972 Cohort: The National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS:72/86), with a sample of 22,500 12th-graders. Postsecondary transcripts were collected in 1984 for 12,600 of these students.
  
  
• 1982 Cohort: High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores (HS&B-So:PETS), with a sample of over 30,000 10th-graders. The students in this cohort were scheduled to graduate from high school in 1982. Postsecondary transcripts were collected in 1993 for 8,400 of these students (HS&B-So:PETS).
  
  
• 1992 Cohort: The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/2000), with a sample of 24,600 8th-graders. The students in this cohort were scheduled to graduate from high school in 1992. Postsecondary transcripts were collected in 2000 for 8,900 of these students (NELS:88/2000-PETS).
  

The analyses reported in indicators 21 and 22 are based on a subsample of students from each cohort who were in 12th grade on schedule and who earned a bachelor’s degree within 8.5 years of their graduation from high school.

ADVANCED ACADEMIC HIGH SCHOOL COURSEWORK

Indicator 25 borrows the definitions of advanced mathematics, English, science, and foreign language coursework from the “academic pipeline” taxonomy (for details on this taxonomy, see The Condition of Education 2003 and 2004, supplemental note 6). For its analysis, indicator 25 counted how many advanced courses in each of these four subjects were offered by public and private high schools that participated in the U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2000 High School Transcript Study (HSTS).

The courses (and subgroups of courses in the “academic pipeline”) that constitute the advanced academic coursework for each of the four subjects are as follows:

Mathematics

Advanced academic coursework in mathematics is divided into the following three sublevels:

• Advanced academic level I: algebra III; algebra/trigonometry; algebra/analytical geometry; trigonometry; trigonometry/solid geometry; analytical geometry; linear algebra; probability; probability/statistics; statistics; statistics (other); and independent study.
  
  
• Advanced academic level II: precalculus and introduction to analysis.
  
  
• Advanced academic level III: advanced placement (AP) calculus; calculus; and calculus/analytical geometry.
  

English

Advanced academic coursework includes all honors-level courses in English.

Science

Advanced academic coursework in science includes the following three subgroups:

• Advanced biology: advanced biology, International Baccalaureate (IB) biology II, IB biology III, AP biology, field biology, genetics, biopsychology, biology seminar, biochemistry and biophysics, biochemistry, botany, cell and molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology, anatomy, and miscellaneous specialized areas of life sciences.
  
  
• Chemistry II: chemistry II, IB chemistry II, IB chemistry III, and AP chemistry.
  
  
• Physics II: physics II, IB physics, AP physics B, AP physics C: mechanics, AP physics C: electricity/magnetism, and physics II without calculus.
  

Foreign Language

Advanced academic coursework in a foreign language includes the following two subgroups:

• Year 4: a year-long course in 12th-grade foreign language instruction or higher.¹
  
  
• AP instruction: an AP foreign language course.
  

The foreign language academic pipeline does not classify all foreign language study: only courses in French, German, Latin, and Spanish are counted because these were the most commonly offered foreign languages when the pipeline was created and remain so today.

FIELDS OF STUDY FOR POSTSECONDARY DEGREES

Indicator 21 used the following 12 general fields of study to categorize data on postsecondary degree majors collected as part of the “Postsecondary Transcript Study, 2002” of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/2000-PETS). Each general category includes several more narrowly defined fields of study.

Business: accounting; finance; management; labor relations; marketing; retailing; hospitality management; real estate; agriculture business/production.

Education: early childhood, elementary, secondary, special, and physical education; library/archival science.

Engineering/technical/architecture: architectural/environmental design; computer technology; electrical, chemical, civil, mechanical engineering.

Physical sciences: chemistry; geology/earth science; physics.

Mathematics/computer science: computer programming; data/information management; computer science; information technologies; statistics.

Life science: agricultural/animal/plant science; conservation/natural resources; forestry; biochemistry; environmental studies; biopsychology.

Health science and services: medical/vet lab technician/assistant; dental assistant/hygienist; physical therapy; occupational therapy; speech pathology/audiology; clinical health science; nursing; health/hospital administration; public health; nutrition/food science.

Humanities: foreign languages; English/American literature; writing: creative/technical; philosophy; religious studies.

Fine and performing arts: graphic/industrial design; drama, speech; film arts; music; fine arts/art history; interior design; textiles/fashion; graphic/print communication.

Social sciences: American studies/civilization; area studies; ethnic studies; paralegal/pre-law; law; women’s studies; psychology; anthropology/archaeology; economics; geography; history; sociology; political science; international relations.

Applied social sciences: journalism; communications; child study/guidance; clinical/counseling psychology; recreation/sports; social work; public administration; human/community service.

Other: other business support; medical office support; communication technologies; other personal service; culinary arts/food management; liberal/general studies; integrated/general science; theology; bible studies; air transport.

NOTES

¹Year 3 of foreign language study (1 year of 11th-grade instruction) is not included in this definition of advanced coursework. (Return to Text)