FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

F. PHILIP HANDY,

Chairman

€

T. WILLARD FAIR,

Vice Chairman

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Members

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SALLY BRADSHAW

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LINDA J. EADS, ED.D.

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CHARLES PATRICK GARCÍA

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JULIA L. JOHNSON

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WILLIAM L. PROCTOR, PH.D.

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March 1

8

, 2003

MEMORANDUM

TO:

District MIS Directors and School Report Contacts

FROM:

Lavan Dukes

JIM HORNE

Commissioner of Education

SUBJECT:

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Student Database Accommodations to Ensure an Accurate 2002-03 Cohort

Graduation Rate Calculation

The 2002-03 four-year cohort graduation rate will be calculated for Florida high schools in the

same manner as for previous years. Prior to final calculation and reporting of the 2002-03 rates

in late October of this year, school districts will have the opportunity to address any ongoing

data-quality concerns involving data for the graduation rate calculation which they have

submitted to the Department. The following are some of the more common data concerns:

•

 

Improper reporting of the

Student Number Identifier—Alias, Florida

•

 

Inappropriate codes reported on certain record formats

•

 

Discrepancy between local records and records submitted to the state

•

Missing

record

formats

•

 

Improper reporting of Grade Level on the Student End-of-Year Status record format

•

 

Unreported W43s and W45s

•

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Improper reporting of nonpublic and home education students on the Student End-of-Year

Status record format

GARNET L. DUKES. JR.

Bureau Chief

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Accountability, Research, and Measurement

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325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 852 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 487-2280 • www.fldoe.org

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In order to allow districts to address these concerns for the 2002-03 graduation rate, the

Department will once again provide an opportunity for school districts to update duplicated sets

of certain archived surveys and record formats for the reporting years 1998-99 through 2001-02.

These updated record formats will only be used for graduation rate calculations.

Specific

instructions and information concerning this process are attached. Questions should be directed

to Cyndi Holleman at cyndi.holleman@fldoe.org or Ed Croft at ed.croft@fldoe.org. They may

also be reached at (850) 487-2280 or SunCom 277-2280.

EC/ch

Attachments

Cc:

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Superintendents

Student Database Contacts

Data Processing Directors

Student Service Directors

Assistant

Superintendents for Instruction

Page 2

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ATTACHMENT 1

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TIMELINE FOR 2002-2003 GRADUATION RATE UPDATES AND

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March

17,

2003

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April 21, 2003

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April 21, 2003

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June 30-July 25, 2003

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July 15 & 22, 2003

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August 5, 2003

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August 8, 2003

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September 12, 2003

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September 23, 2003

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October 3, 2003

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October 10-17, 2003

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October 23, 2003

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*Preliminary Report Files

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Archived records for use in update available**

Window for update to archived files

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(Batches submitted by 4 PM will be processed that day)

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Updated reports/file available. NOTE: school level may be

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a day late.

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Final reports/file available reflecting updates to archived

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files

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Due date for 2002-2003 Survey 5

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Close of 2002-2003 Survey 5 state processing window

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Initial reports available***

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Preliminary graduation rate available

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Update window for 2002-2003 Survey 5 and archived files

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2002-2003 final graduation rate and final reports***

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This file/report contains preliminary data for only three years because we will not have your 2002-

2003 Survey 5 data until after the close of the survey in September 2003. Please keep in mind that

when you eventually receive your report containing all students in the cohort, the students in the

preliminary file might have a different status. District-level and school-level files are shown on the

DPSxx.GQ.F63494.Y02035

DPSxx.GQ.F63494.Y02035.ALPHA

School

DPSxx.GQ.F70307.Y02035

DPSxx.GQ.F70307.Y02035.ALPHA

DPSxx.GQ.F70307.Y02035.DATA

unadjusted cohort sorted by student ID

unadjusted cohort sorted by last name

raw

data

Layout of .Data file in DPS.DISTRICT.FORMAT.Y0203(F63494, F70307)

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**Archived Records for use in updating

DPSxx.GQ.F60775O Student demographics

DPSxx.GQ.F60953O End-of-Year Status

DPSxx.GQ.F63494.Y02035

DPSxx.GQ.F63494.Y02035.ADULT

DPSxx.GQ.F63494.Y02035.DROPOUT

DPSxx.GQ.F63494.Y02035.GRAD

DPSxx.GQ.F63494.Y02035.NOTGRAD

DPSxx.GQ.F63494.DATA

School Files:

DPSxx.GQ.F70307.Y02035

DPSxx.GQ.F70307.Y02035.ADULT

DPSxx.GQ.F70307.Y02035.DROPOUT

DPSxx.GQ.F70307.Y02035.GRAD

DPSxx.GQ.F70307.Y02035.NOTGRAD

DPSxx.GQ.F70307.ALPHA

(all students in cohort sorted by

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school)

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(W26s)

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(not

graduating)

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(all students in cohort sorted by name)

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Layout of .Data file in DPS.DISTRICT.FORMAT.Y0203(F63494, F70307)

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Attachment 2: Summary of Common Data-Reporting

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Concerns

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Data Concern

Discussion

Solution

Improper reporting of

Student Number

Identifier - Alias, Florida

In order to accurately track students across

surveys and reporting years when the

Student

Number Identifier, Florida

changes, the

Student

Number Identifier - Alias, Florida

must be the link.

The

Student Number Identifier - Alias,

Florida

assigned when the student

first enters the district will always be

the "alias" for that student. In order

for the linking across surveys and

years to work, the "alias" must remain

constant.

Nonmatching codes

reported across record

formats

For the same reporting year, problems can occur

when codes in certain elements on the

Student

End- of- Year Status

records do not match

Withdrawal Codes

on the

Student Attendance

records. For example, a WO6 (standard diploma)

may mistakenly be reported in the

Withdrawal

Code

field on the

Student Attendance

record for a

student while the

Diploma Type

on the

Student

End- of- Year Status

record for the same student is

z-filled.

As appropriate,

Withdrawal Codes

reported on the

Student Attendance

record must match withdrawal codes

reported on the

Student End- of- Year

Status

record for the elements

Diploma Type

,

Certificate of

Completion Type

, and

Withdrawal

Reason

.

Discrepancy between

local records and

records submitted to

the state

Students may complete a particular school year

and be expected to return the following school

year, but may never enroll. For example, a student

may withdraw in August prior to the beginning of

the school year. The district will record this

withdrawal in their system, but the withdrawal is

currently not submitted to the state. In addition,

there are students considered DNEs at the

beginning of the school year, but the district may

subsequently determine another appropriate code.

Only the remaining DNEs are currently submitted

to the state.

Update the

Withdrawal Reason

element on the

Student End -of -Year

Status

record for the year prior to the

year the student was not enrolled.

This solution only applies through

1997-98 Survey 5. For 1998-99 and

subsequent years, this should be

done using the

Student Attendance

record. (See Attachment 3.)

Missing record formats

The data for a student for a particular year is not

complete unless all the appropriate record formats

were submitted for that student. For example, a

student has a

Student End- of- Year Status

record

and no matching

Student Attendance

record.

Submit the missing record(s).

Improper reporting of

Grade Level

on

Student

End- of- Year Status

record format

The

Grade Level

code on the

Student End- of -

Year Status

is used in determining the cohort for

the graduation rate calculation.

The

Grade Level

on the

Student End -

of- Year Status

must reflect the

Grade

Level

for the 180-day school year just

passed.

Unreported W43s,

W45s

Some students in the cohort who have received

adult high school diplomas or adult GEDs are not

being counted as graduates.

Send a

Student-End-of-Year Status

record with diploma type coded

correctly.

Nonpublic/Home

Education students

served in districts

The appropriate

School Number, Current

Enrollment

for home education or nonpublic

students served in a district is N998 and N999

respectively. These students are not to be

reported on the

Student End-of-Year Status

record. If districts used a valid school number

other than N999 and reported these students on

the

Student-End-of Year

Status record, they will be

included in the cohort.

Review records to determine if any

nonpublic or home education students

served in the district have been

reported to the state on the

Student

End-of-Year S

tatus record. If so,

delete record(s).

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Attachment 3: Special Notes on Updates*

Updates to Student Number Identifier - Alias, Florida (Student Demographic

Information)

: For the surveys being updated, the

Student Number Identifier -

Alias, Florida

must be the same across all Student Demographic Information

records for a given student.

Please see the data element for the definition of

Student Number Identifier - Alias, Florida

.

Updates to Withdrawal Reason (Student End of Year Status)

:

In order to

provide information to the DOE Student Information Database on a student who

left the district between school years, update the

Withdrawal Reason

code on the

Student End of Year Status record for the year prior to the year the student was

not enrolled in the district.

In addition to the valid codes for the year being

updated, use W26 where appropriate. Beginning with the 1998-99 Survey 5, use

the Student Attendance record with Term = Y to report these students.

Updates to Grade Level:

As mentioned in Attachment 2, the

Grade Level

reported on the Student End-of-Year Status record must reflect the previous 180-

day school year

Grade Level

of a student.

Archived records:

Archived records for which updates are to be allowed will be

made available in original format for districts to download and use for the

updating process. These records reflect updates you have made in the past for

the purposes of prior cohort graduation rates.

*Note:

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Updates will be batch only. An online update process will not be made

available.

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During the process of updating duplicated archived data for the graduation rate calculation, updates will be allowed for the following reporting

years, surveys and record formats:

Note:

Data elements that potentially need to be updated for each record format are also listed. In addition, missing records may be added.

Reporting Year

Survey

Record Format(s)

Element(s)

1998-99

5

Student Demographic Information (grades 9-12 only)

Student End-of-Year Status (grade 9 only)

Student Number Identifier-Alias, Florida

Grade Promotion Status

1999-00

2

Student Demographic Information (grades 9-12 only)

Student Number Identifier-Alias, Florida

5

Student Demographic Information (grades 9-12 only)

Student End-of-Year Status (grades 9-12 only)

Student Attendance (grades 9-12 only)

Student Number Identifier-Alias, Florida

Diploma Type

Certificate of Completion Type

Withdrawal Reason

Withdrawal Code

2000-01

2

Student Demographic Information (grades 9-12 only)

Student Number Identifier-Alias, Florida

5

Student Demographic Information (grades 9-12 only)

Student End-of-Year Status (grades 9-12 only)

Student Attendance (grades 9-12 only)

Student Number Identifier-Alias, Florida

Diploma Type

Certificate of Completion Type

Withdrawal Reason

Withdrawal Code

2001-02

2

Student Demographic Information (grades 9-12 only)

Student Number Identifier-Alias, Florida

5

Student Demographic Information (grades 9-12 only)

Student End-of-Year Status (grades 9-12 only)

Student Attendance (grades 9-12 only)

Student Number Identifier-Alias, Florida

Diploma Type

Certificate of Completion Type

Withdrawal Reason

Withdrawal Code

* Survey 5, 2001-02, and Survey 2, 2002-03, have not been archived and are still updateable. Updates to Survey 5, 2001-02, are due no later

than May 9, 2003, and updates to Survey 2, 2002-03, are due no later than July 25, 2003.