U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Education Data Exchange Network (EDEN)

N003 – Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement File Specifications

Version 7.1

SY 2010-11

August 2011

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONN003 – Children with Disabilities (IDEA)

Academic Achievement File Specifications v7.1

This technical guide was produced under U.S. Department of Education Contract No. ED-PEP-09-O-0044 with 2020 Company, LLC. Brandon Scott served as the contracting officer’s representative. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inferred.

U.S. Department of Education

Arne Duncan

Secretary

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

Carmel Martin

Assistant Secretary

August 2011

This technical guide is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, N003 – Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement File Specifications, Washington, D.C., 2011.

This technical guide is also available on the Department’s Web site at:

On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print, or computer diskette. For more information, please contact the Department’s AlternateFormatCenter at (202) 260–0852 or (202) 260–0818.

DOCUMENT CONTROL

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

Title: / N003 – Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement File Specifications
Revision: / Version 7.1
Issue Date: / August 2011
Security Level: / Unclassified – For Official Use Only
Filename: / n003-7-1.doc

DOCUMENT HISTORY

Version Number / Date / Summary of Change
1.0 / Version 1.0 or subsequent updates (i.e., 1.1, 1.2, etc) of this file specification is used to build files for SYs 2003-04 and 2004-05.
2.0 / Version 2.0 or subsequent updates (i.e., 2.1, 2.2, etc) of this file specification is used to build files for SY 2005-06.
3.0 / Version 3.0 or subsequent updates (i.e., 3.1, 3.2, etc) of this file specification is used to build files for SY 2006-07.
4.0 / Version 4.0 or subsequent updates (i.e., 4.1, 4.2, etc) of this file specification is used to build files for SY 2007-08.
5.0 / Version 5.0 or subsequent updates (i.e., 5.1, 5.2, etc) of this file specification is used to build files for SY 2008-09.
6.0 / Version 6.0 or subsequent updates (i.e., 6.1, 6.2, etc) of this file specification is used to build files for SY 2009-10.
7.0 / May 2011 /
  • Updated for SY 2010-11
  • 1.2 – Revised table 1.2-1 at the LEA level for education units reported and type of count
  • 2.0 – Revised guidance to align with N/X075, N/X078, and N/X079
  • 2.2 – Added section on fall testing states
  • 2.3 – Added section on data quality rules
  • 4.2 and 5.2 – Revised the definition of the category “grade level (assessment)”

7.1 / August 2011 /
  • 2.0, 4.2, 4.3, 5.2 and 5.3 – Removed science as a permitted value.
  • 2.3 – Added information on “Significant Medical Emergencies”

RELEASE AUTHORIZATION

Name / Signature / Date
Author
QA
Release Authority

PREFACE

This document provides technical instructions for building files that are submitted through the Education Data Exchange Network (EDEN) Submission System (ESS). The EDEN Submission System is an electronic system that facilitates the efficient and timely transmission of data from SEAs to the U.S. Department of Education.

This document is to be used in coordination with other documentation including the EDEN Submission System User Guide and the Business Rules Guide.

Data submitted through the ESS is authorized by an Annual Mandatory Collection of Elementary and Secondary Education Data Through EDFacts (OMB 1875-0240, expires 9/30/2013). EDFacts is a U.S. Department of Education (ED) initiative to govern, acquire, validate, and use high-quality, kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) performance data for education planning, policymaking, and management and budget decisionmaking to improve outcomes for students. EDFacts centralizes data provided by SEAs, LEAs and schools, and provides users with the ability to easily analyze and report data. This initiative has significantly reduced the reporting burden for state and local data producers, and has streamlined data collection, analysis and reporting functions at the federal, state and local levels.

August 2011 / 1 / SY 2010-11

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONN003 – Children with Disabilities (IDEA)

Academic Achievement File Specifications v7.1

Contents

DOCUMENT CONTROL

PREFACE

1.0PURPOSE

1.1Changes from the SY 2009-10 File Specifications

1.2Requirements for Submitting this Data Group

2.0GUIDANCE FOR SUBMITTING THIS FILE

2.1REVISED! Definitions

2.2NEW! Fall Testing States

2.3NEW! Definition

2.4NEW! Data Quality Rules

3.0FILE NAMING CONVENTION

3.1Population Status

4.0SEA CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES (IDEA) ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FILE

4.1Header Record Definition

4.2Data Record Definition

4.3SEA Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement File Examples

4.3.1Partial Record Sample for Fixed Format SEA Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement File

4.3.2Partial Record Sample for Comma–Delimited File Format SEA Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement File

4.3.3Partial Record Sample for Tab–Delimited File Format SEA Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement File

5.0LEA CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES (IDEA) ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FILE

5.1Header Record Definition

5.2Data Record Definition

5.3LEA Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement File Examples

5.3.1Partial Record Sample for Fixed Format LEA Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement File

5.3.2Partial Record Sample for Comma–Delimited File Format LEA Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement File

5.3.3Partial Record Sample for Tab–Delimited File Format LEA Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement File

6.0APPENDIX IDEA (ASSESSMENT) EDFACTS CROSSWALK

August 2011 / 1 / SY 2010-11

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONN003 – Children with Disabilities (IDEA)

Academic Achievement File Specifications v7.1

1.0PURPOSE

This document contains instructions for building fixed and delimited files to submit EDFacts Data Group: Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement Table, DG447. The definition for this data group is in the row “Table Name” in Table 4.2-1.

The data collected using this file specification are required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 618. The data will be used as responses in Sections C and F in Table 6, “Report of Participation and Performance of Students with Disabilities on State Assessments.” The data are also used for monitoring the programs and activities under IDEA. The appendix contains a crosswalk between this file and the applicable sections of Table 6.

A separate document contains the XML file formats. General guidance for constructing all file types may be found in the EDFacts Workbook.

1.1Changes from the SY 2009-10 File Specifications

There have been changes to this file specification. Science is no longer included as a permitted value for academic subject.

1.2Requirements for Submitting this Data Group

This section contains two tables that summarize the reporting requirements. The first table contains the reporting period, the education units included or excluded, the type of count, and zero count reporting. The second table contains the required categories and applicable totals.

Table 1.2-1 Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement, Core Reporting Requirements

SEA / LEA / School
Reporting Period / State-specific assessment testing window
REVISED! Education units reported / Include SEA / LEAs that are responsible for thestudent’s IEP during the assessment testing window / File not submitted at the school level
Education units not reported / Closed, inactive, or future LEAs
REVISED! Count / Once for each academic subject / Once for each academic subject at the LEA which was responsible for the student’s IEP during the assessment window
Zero counts / Required, except as explained below / Not required[1]
Zero count exceptions / Assessment Administered – If a state doesn’t administer a specific assessment type (e.g., alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards), leave that permitted value out of the file
Performance levels – Use only the performance levels needed starting with “1” as the lowest level of performance. Use consecutively numbered levels. For example if a state has 4 performance levels, the state would only report data in levels 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Grade level (Assessment) – Use only applicable high school grades (i.e., 9, 10, 11, and 12) or the permitted value HS for high school. Leave the other permitted values for high school out of the file.

The following table indicates the valid combinations of categories and the subtotals and/or totals needed for this file. An “X” in the column indicates that the column must be populated when reporting that particular category. The total indicator must be either “Y” (Yes) or “N” (No). If the record is for a detail count, specify an “N” (No). If the record is for a subtotal or education unit total, specify a “Y” (Yes).

Table 1.2–2: Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Academic Achievement Table, Required Categories, and Applicable Totals

Category Set / Table Name / Academic Subject (Assessment) / Grade Level (Assessment) / Assessment Administered / Performance Level / Total Indicator / Comments
Category Set A / IDEACMPASSTM / X / X / X / X / N / Student Count by Academic Subject(Assessment), GradeLevel (Assessment),Assessment Administered,and Performance Level
Subtotal 1 / IDEACMPASSTM / X / Y / Subtotal by Academic Subject (Assessment)
Subtotal 2 / IDEACMPASSTM / X / X / X / Y / Subtotal by Academic Subject (Assessment), Grade Level (Assessment), and Assessment Administered

2.0GUIDANCE FOR SUBMITTING THIS FILE

This file specification is used to reportthe results of state assessments for children with disabilities (IDEA) who received a valid score and were assigned a proficiency level.

See below for additional guidance concerning this file:

REVISED! Which students should be reported?

Report children with disabilities (IDEA) who

  • Took the assessment,
  • Received a valid score, and
  • Were assigned a proficiency level

This includes students who were in attendance for both the full academic year (FAY) and those who were not in attendance the full academic year.

The definition of children with disabilities (IDEA) is in section 4.2 of the EDFacts Workbook. Please note that definition in the Workbook is all inclusive. For purpose of this file, the phrase “Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), or a services plan” should be removed.

REVISED!Which students should be excluded?

  • Exclude children with disabilities (IDEA) who are parentally-placed in private schools and served through services plans.
  • Exclude children with disabilities (IDEA) who did not obtain a valid score but have a proficiency level assigned.
  • Exclude former children with disabilities (IDEA).

In addition, for the academic subject “reading/language arts,”

  • Exclude students with disabilities (IDEA) who are limited English proficient, have attended schools in the U.S. for less than 12 months, and took the ELP in lieu of the reading/language arts assessment.

REVISED! What if my state assigns non-participants to the lowest level of proficiency?

Those students are not reported in these files (i.e., for reporting academic achievement results).

REVISED! Can my state report academic achievement data on its website with non-participants assigned to the lowest level of proficiency?

Yes. The state will still report the academic achievement data to ED without including the non-participants. In this case, the data on assessments reported by the state will be different than the data on academic achievements reported to ED.

REVISED! What grade levels should be reported?

LEA and school records should include all required grade levels that are present in the LEA or school. Reading/language arts and mathematics assessments are required in grade three through eight and once in high school.)

For example, a K-6 school would report grades 3 through 6 for mathematics and reading/language arts.

State records must include academic achievement data for all required grades.

REVISED! Why do the permitted values include grades 9 through 12 as well as a value for “High School?”

The permitted values are provided so SEAs have more flexibility. For high school grades, assessment results can be reported by specific grade levels or by using the permitted value for high school (HS). Data reported by specific grade levels (9, 10, 11, and 12 for mathematics and reading/language arts) or high school (HS) will be used for reporting results of statewide assessments in high school. Do not report data using both specific grade level and the permitted value for high school (HS).

REVISED! How are assessments of students in grade 9 reported?

ESEA, as amended, requires assessments in grades 3 through 8 and high school for mathematics and reading/language arts. In ESEA, high school is explained as grades 10, 11, and 12. Students who took mathematics or reading/language arts assessments in grade 9 should be reported either as grade 9 or as high school.

REVISED! At what grade levels are students reported?

Students should be reported at the same grade level in which the student is enrolled, as close to the testing window as possible. The grade is assigned to the student by the school system in which the student is enrolled.

REVISED! What are the permitted values for assessment administered?

The permitted values are:

  • REGASSWOACC – Regular assessments based on grade-level achievement standards without accommodations
  • REGASSWACC – Regular assessments based on grade-level achievement standards with accommodations
  • ALTASSGRADELVL – Alternate assessments based on grade-level achievement standards– Not all states have ED-approved alternate assessments based on grade-level achievement standards
  • ALTASSMODACH – Alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards – Not all states have ED-approved alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards
  • ALTASSALTACH – Alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards

Definitions related to alternate assessments are in section 2.1 Definitions.

REVISED! What performance levels should be reported?

The data reported in academic achievement files are reported by state-defined academic achievement (performance) levels. In the files, the state-defined academic achievement levels are labeled as level 1 through level 6. A state must report at least 3 levels. The state defined academic achievement levels are specific to an assessment type. That is, the number (and name) of levels used for the alternate assessment on alternate achievement standards may be different than the number of levels used for the regular assessment, based on the state’s Accountability Workbook.

Each state must complete the EMAPS Academic Achievement Levels survey. The academic achievement levels used in the academic achievement files must be the same as theacademic achievement levels reported in EMAPS.

Level 1 must be reported as the lowest academic achievement level. Use the other numbers (i.e., 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) sequentially. Use only the numbers needed. For example, if a state has 4 academic achievement levels, the state will report datausing numbers1, 2, 3, and 4. Number 1 will be the lowest level of performance and number 4 will be the highest level.

How do I avoid the “Student Performance Level Numbers are not contiguous” error?

This error message indicates that the file includes educational units that have some Performance Level counts, (L1, L2, L3…etc.) but not all. EDEN expects that for each category included in the file, the list of Performance Levels will be contiguous, beginning with L1. Typically, this error message occurs when counts of zero are left out of the file. SEA submitters should make sure that each reported category has all levels used by the state representedto prevent this error from occurring.

How does the EDFacts data crosswalk to Table 6?

A crosswalk to Table 6 is in the appendix.

REVISED! Do other files collect related data?

Yes. Specifically, the students reported in this file are also reported in N/X075, N/X078 and N/X079 as follows:

Table 2.0–1: Related Files

Students reported in this file / Also reported in
Students reported for Mathematics / Category set C of N/X075
Students reported for Reading/Language Arts / Category set C of N/X078

2.1REVISED! Definitions

The following definitions related to assessment administered:

  • Regular assessment based on grade level academic achievement standards– An assessment designed to measure the student’s knowledge and skills in a particular subject matter based on academic achievement standards appropriate to the student’s grade level.See ESEA, Section 1111(b)(3).
  • Regular assessments based on grade level academic achievement standards can be taken with or without accommodations.
  • Alternate assessment[2] based on alternate academic achievement standards - A way to measure the academic achievement of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. These assessments may yield results that measure the achievement standards that the State has defined under 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §200.1(d).
  • Alternate assessment based on grade level academic achievement standards - A way to measure the academic achievement of students with disabilities based on the same grade-level achievement standards measured by the State’s regular assessments. Such assessments are available to students who the IEP team determines cannot participate in all or part of the State assessments under paragraph (a)(1) of 34 CFR §200.6, even with appropriate accommodations. These assessments must yield results for the grade in which the student is enrolled in at least reading/language arts, mathematics, and, beginning in SY 2007-08, science, except as provided in 34 CFR §200.6(a)(2)(ii)(B).
  • Alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards - A way to measure the academic achievement of students with disabilities who access the general grade-level curriculum, but whose disabilities have precluded them from achieving grade-level proficiency and who (as determined by the IEP team) are not expected to achieve grade-level proficiency within the year covered by the IEP. See 34 CFR §200.1(e).

2.2NEW! Fall Testing States

This section provides guidance to fall testing states.

To what does the term “fall testing state” refer?

Fall testing states are those that conduct at least one of their statewide assessments during a fall testing window[3].

For fall testing states, are the data reported for the current school year based on the current school year’s content or the prior year’s content?

Typically the fall testing states report assessment results based on the prior year’s content. For example:

Reported in Fall 2010 as / Content based on
Grade 4 mathematics / Grade 3 mathematics

In a fall testing state, this means that a student’s academic achievement data are reported in the grade of student’s current school year, regardless of the content grade of the assessment.