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Data Sources

Listed below are the primary NCES databases that are used for the analysis of career/technical education issues. The surveys are grouped by category: secondary, postsecondary and adult, and longitudinal studies.

Secondary Studies

High School Transcript Studies. High school transcripts collected in conjunction with the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the Educational Longitudinal Study provide data on CTE coursetaking and credits earned, and are used to describe trends in CTE coursetaking over time.

Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). Data from the School, School Administrator, and Teacher Questionnaires are used to provide counts and descriptions of the public schools that offer CTE, CTE high schools, and the teachers who provide CTE instruction.

Postsecondary and Adult Studies

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Data from the Completions, Institutional Characteristics, and Fall Enrollment components are used to provide counts of postsecondary educational institutions that confer credentials in occupational fields of study and counts of postsecondary credentials awarded in those fields.

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). Data from the student record data collections and student interviews are used to provide counts and descriptions of undergraduates majoring in occupational fields of study and the credentials that they seek.

Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Data from this U.S. Census Bureau household survey provide counts of adults who have work credentials (occupational licenses or certifications).

Longitudinal Studies

High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS). Data from the base-year and follow-up surveys are used to describe students' work-related attitudes, influences, expectations, and career preparation activities.

Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS). Data from the base-year and follow-up surveys, along with high school transcript data, are used to describe the postsecondary and labor market outcomes of the high school class of 2004.

National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). Data from the base-year questionnaires and follow-up surveys are used to describe the postsecondary majors, postsecondary attainment, and labor market outcomes of high school students of the class of 1992.

Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) . Data from the base-year NPSAS and its BPS follow-up surveys are used to describe students’ postsecondary persistence, credential attainment, and labor market outcomes.

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