Appendix B - Methodology

Data Quality

CCD data are reported by state education agencies (SEAs) for individual schools and districts within the state, as well as for the state as a whole. Staff at NCES and its collection agent, the U.S. Census Bureau, work with the SEAs to clean and edit the data. State CCD coordinators correct or confirm any numbers that are challenged in the NCES edits. NCES accepts the states’ responses to these edit questions; however, in a limited number of situations, if the SEA does not provide NCES with the explanation or new data for an item, NCES will suppress or edit the data.

NCES challenges SEA data under several circumstances. Some examples of edits include numbers appearing out of range when compared to national averages, the previous year’s data, or internal state reports. If a response is logically impossible—for example, reporting “Title I School status” as “not applicable” when “yes” or “no” are the only possible answers—NCES will consult with the state and replace the response with a logically acceptable alternative. As another example of an edit, if a reported total is less than the sum of the detail comprising that total, the total will be changed to the sum of the detail. Missing data at the state level are imputed to support reporting national totals for the reporting year. Data may also be adjusted for confidentiality.