U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Education Data Exchange Network (EDEN)

N052 –Membership

File Specifications

Version 5.0

SY 2008-09

October 2008

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
N052 - Membership File Specifications v5.0

This technical guide was produced under U.S. Department of Education Contract No. GS00F0049M-ED05P01299 with Perot Systems Government Services, Inc. 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

Margaret Spellings

Secretary

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

Williamson “Bill” M. Evers

Assistant Secretary

October 2008

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, N052 - Membership File Specifications, Washington, D.C., 2008.

  • 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 Alternate Format Center at (202) 260-0852 or (202) 260-0818.

DOCUMENT CONTROL

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

Title: / N052 - Membership File Specifications
Revision: / Version 5.0
Issue Date: / October 2008
Security Level: / Unclassified – For Official Use Only
Filename: / N052 - Membership v5.0.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 2007-08.
4.0 / Version 4.0 or subsequent updates (i.e. 3.1, 3.2, etc) of this file specification is used to build files for SY 2007-08.
5.0 / October 2008 /
  • Replaced SY 2007-08 with SY 2008-09.
  • Updated all instances of “grand total” with “total of the education unit.”
  • 2.0, 4.2, 5.2, and 6.2 – Updated guidance on racial ethnic
  • 4.3, 5.3, and 6.3 – Added note that examples use 5 original permitted values.
  • 4.3, 5.3 and 6.3 – Updated data file examples for SY 2008-09.

RELEASE AUTHORIZATION

Name / Signature / Date
Author
QA
Release Authority

PREFACE

This document provides technical instructions for building files that can be submitted through the Education Data Exchange Network (EDEN). This document is used in coordination with the EDFacts Workbook, EDFacts Business Rules Guide and the EDEN Submission System User Guide.

EDEN is a centralized, coordinated repository of state reported, K through 12, educational data residing at the U.S. Department of Education. 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.

CONTENTS

DOCUMENT CONTROL

PREFACE

1.0PURPOSE

1.1Changes from the SY 2007-08 File Specifications

1.2Requirements for Submitting this Data Group

2.0GUIDANCE FOR SUBMITTING THIS FILE

3.0FILE NAMING CONVENTION

3.1Population Status

4.0SEA MEMBERSHIP FILE

4.1Header Record Definition

4.2Data Record Definition

4.3SEA Membership File Examples

4.3.1Partial Record Sample for Fixed Format SEA Membership File

4.3.2Partial Record Sample for Comma-Delimited File Format SEA Membership File

4.3.3Partial Record Sample for Tab-Delimited File Format SEA Membership File

5.0LEA MEMBERSHIP FILE

5.1Header Record Definition

5.2Data Record Definition

5.3LEA Membership File Examples

5.3.1Partial Record Sample for Fixed Format LEA Membership File

5.3.2Partial Record Sample for Comma-Delimited File Format LEA Membership File

5.3.3Partial Record Sample for Tab-Delimited File Format LEA Membership File

6.0SCHOOL MEMBERSHIP FILE

6.1Header Record Definition

6.2Data Record Definition

6.3School Membership File Examples

6.3.1Partial Record Sample for Fixed Format School Membership File

6.3.2Partial Record Sample for Comma-Delimited File Format School Membership File

6.3.3Partial Record Sample for Tab-Delimited File Format School Membership File

October 2008 / 1 / SY 2008-09

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
N052 - Membership File Specifications v5.0

1.0PURPOSE

This document contains official instructions for building fixed and delimited files to submit EDFacts Data Group: Membership Table, ID# 39. The definition for this data group is in the row “Table Name” in Table 4.2-1.

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

The data collected through this file specification is primarily for the Non-Fiscal Survey of the Common Core of Data (CCD). This elementary and secondary data is also used by many other U.S. Department of Education program offices.

1.1Changes from the SY 2007-08 File Specifications

The guidance on racial ethnic data has been removed from this file specification. Users should use the guidance in the document “EDFacts Guidance on Submitting Racial and Ethnic Data.”

Other than the editorial changes listed in the document history on page ii, there have been no other changes to this file specification.

1.2Requirements for Submitting this Data Group

This data group is submitted at the following levels:

  • SEA
  • LEA
  • School

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 total of the education unit, specify a “Y” (Yes).

Table 1.2-1: Membership Table, Required Categories, and Applicable Totals

Category Set / Table Name / Grade Level (Membership) / Race / Ethnicity / Sex (Membership) / Total Indicator / Comments
Category Set A / MEMBER / X / X / X / N / Enrollment by Grade Level (Membership), Race/ Ethnicity and Sex (Membership)
Subtotal 1 / MEMBER / X / X / Y / Subtotal by Grade Level (Membership) and Race/Ethnicity
Subtotal 2 / MEMBER / X / X / Y / Subtotal by Grade Level (Membership) and Sex (Membership)
Subtotal 3 / MEMBER / X / X / Y / Subtotal by Race/Ethnicity and Sex (Membership)
Subtotal 4 / MEMBER / X / Y / Subtotal by Grade Level (Membership)
Total of the Education Unit / MEMBER / Y / Total of the Education Unit

2.0GUIDANCE FOR SUBMITTING THIS FILE

This file specification collects the total student enrollment (by grade, race/ethnicity, and sex) on October 1 (or the closest school day to October 1). This membership count includes students both present and absent on the designated day; it excludesduplicate counts of students within a specific school or LEA andstudents whose membership is reported by another school or LEA.

See below for additional guidance concerning this file:

What is the reporting period for this file?

The reporting period for this data is a student count based on October 1 enrollment (or the closest school day to October 1).

Which Education Units should be included in the file?

Include all LEAs and schools who were open on October 1st (or the closest school day to October 1). If the LEA or school had no enrollment on that date include the Education Unit in the file with a single total of the education unit record with a student count of zero. In the explanation field, please provide a note that the LEA or school did not have any students enrolled on October 1st. No other detail or subtotal records are required for Education Units with no enrollment.

Which Education Units should not be included in the file?

Do not include LEAs or schools that were closed on or before October 1st. Also do not include LEAs or schools that opened after October 1st as those students would have been counted elsewhere. In addition, any Reportable Programs (School Type = 5) should not report membership.

Which Grade Levels should be included in the file?

For each LEA or school in the file you should include data for every grade that is offered. If a high school only offers grades 9 through 12 then you do not have to provide membership data for grades K through 8.

How do I count students outside of grade span?

When a student is outside the grade span for a school, the SEA should follow the following steps to determine how to report the student:

(1)Is this school the student's school of record?

If yes, then report the student even if outside grade span.

If no, then go to question 2.

(2)Is this student enrolled in some other public school that is his or her school of record?

If yes, then report student in membership in that school, even if outside grade span for that school.

If no, then do not include the student in membership counts for any school. (For example, a home-schooled student that is enrolled for one class would not be reported in membership.)

How do I count shared students?

Sometimes students receive services or attend more than one school. Sometimes students receive services from schools in more than one LEA. For this data collection, students should be counted in membership in no more than one school and in no more than one LEA. The SEA should determine which school or LEA is the “home” school and/or LEA for the student. The SEA should maintain documentation on how “home” schools are determined.

How do I count migrant students?

Migrant students should be reported in the membership of the public school they are attending when the membership count is taken, even though the student may have declared another school of record for graduation purposes.

How do I report racial ethnic data?

The document “EDFacts Guidance on Submitting Racial Ethnic Data” contains directions on how to report racial ethnic data.

Avoid duplicate counts.

If a school opens after October 1,2008 its membership should not be reported for the 2008-09 school year, because these students would already have been enrolled and counted under another educational unit.

What category sets are used for the CCD collection (Reference: Table 1.2-1)

The Category Set A and Subtotals 1 and 4 are used for CCD.

How do I handle Zero (0) counts?

If there are no students for an open LEA, submit only a total of the education unit as zero. You will not be required to submit any other additional information; we will infer zero counts for the details and subtotal data.

If an Education Unit has no students of a grade that is offered, the Education Unit may report that grade level as zero in subtotal 4. The detail data and Category Set A does not need to be sent and will be provided to CCD as zeros.

How do I handle Missing data?

Missing data can temporarily be reported as “-1.” Eventually, all the data will need to be reported.

How do I handle Not Collected data?

The Grade level (Membership), Race/Ethnicity and Sex (Membership) categories do not include “not collected.”

How do I determine Agency and School of Membership?

Every person entitled to a free, public education is the responsibility of an agency within a state. This is usually, but not always, the State Education Agency (SEA). The SEA usually assigns this responsibility to a local education agency (LEA). The LEA provides services through a program or school it operates; or sends the student elsewhere for these services. Students should be reported, for CCD purposes, in the membership of the LEA that initially receives funds for that student’s education; and in the membership of the school he or she attends. See below for various scenarios to help identify where membership should be reported:

Governance / LEA reports membership? / School reports membership? / Example
1. Student attends a school that is administered by the district that is responsible for him/her. / Home district / School in home district / This is the most common situation
2. Student attends more than one school on a regular schedule / Home district / School of record in home district / A vocational school serves students from multiple districts; it is a “shared time” school that does not report membership.
3. District responsible for the student sends him/her to attend public school in some other school district. / Sending district / Receiving school / District is too small to operate a high school; tuitions students out to neighboring district.
The district with the school that receives these students may encounter a business edit that compares the sum of the schools membership to the reported LEA membership. If you should encounter this edit because of this situation, please contact partner support.
4. District responsible for the student sends him/her to attend nonpublic school or program, in same or other school district.[1] / Sending district / Not reported / District tuitions special needs student to a private school that can meet these needs.
5. Student attends a program within a school that may be self-contained, but does not have its own principal. EDEN does not require reporting as a separate entity. / LEA responsible for school housing program / School that provides the principal/administrator for the program / District offers a within-school “dropout recapture” program with remedial instruction, substantial counseling, small pupil: teacher ratios for these high risk students.
6. Student attends a program within a school that may be self-contained, but does not have its own principal. EDEN requires reporting as a separate entity.2 / LEA responsible for school housing program / School that is linked to the Reportable program / The school includes a magnet program that must be reported separately to meet the requirements of the Civil Rights Data Collection.
7. District contracts with some other education agency to provide services to students within the district’s schools. / District contracting for the services / School in that district / Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) hires teachers, and provides classes, within a district’s schools. The regular school principal is administratively responsible for these students.
8. RESA operates schools, i.e., has students, teachers, and an assigned administrator physically located in one or more LEAs. / RESA / RESA school / Agency (RESA) hires teachers, and provides classes, which may be housed in a district’s schools. The regular school principal is not administratively responsible for these students; there is a separate RESA-assigned administrator.
9. State agency responsible for the student serves him/her in a school or program operated by that agency. / State agency / State agency’s school / State Department of Corrections operates elementary/secondary schools within corrections facilities. University operates a lab school.
10. State agency responsible for the student sends him/her to a nonpublic school or program, in that or some other state. / State agency / Not reported / State Department of Health and Human Services tuitions special needs student to a private school in another state that specializes in meeting this student’s needs.

Privately operated public schools should be reported in line with the public agency to which they are accountable. If the school is accountable to an LEA, report it as any other public school in the district. If the school is accountable to a state agency, follow the directions for 9 or 10, as appropriate.

2 The permitted value for “reportable program” (CCD school type code option) code was added to EDEN for the SY 2007-08 collection. It is not used for the SY 2006-07.

3.0FILE NAMING CONVENTION

Being able to readily identify any particular file transmission is an important consideration for users of the EDEN Data Submission System. Being able to identify a particular file can greatly facilitate any technical assistance that may be requested by the State. A maximum of 25 characters (including the file extension) is allowed for the file name. The following is the naming convention for Membership file submissions:

sslevMEMBERSHPvvvvvvv.ext

Where:

ss= Two-character USPS State Abbreviation for the submitting SEA.

lev= Three-character abbreviation for the level submitted. Use:

SEA for a State Education Agency Membership submission

LEA for a Local Education Agency Membership submission

SCH for a School Membership submission

Filename= MEMBERSHP (no more than nine characters)

vvvvvvv= Up to seven-character alphanumeric string designated by the SEA to uniquely identify the individual submission. (e.g., ver0001, v010803)

.ext= Three-character file extension identifying the file format as follows:

.txt – fixed format

.csv – comma-delimited format

.tab – tab-delimited format

3.1Population Status

The “Pop” column in the header and data records is coded as follows:

M - Mandatory, this field must always be populated

A - This field is populated in accordance with table 1.2-1

O - Optional, data in this field is optional

4.0SEA MEMBERSHIP FILE

This section describes the fixed file and delimited file specifications used to transmit information pertaining to the SEA Membership File. The file type is specified in the header record.

4.1Header Record Definition

The header record is required and is the first record in every file submitted to the EDEN Submission System. The purpose of the header record is to provide information as to the file type, number of Data Records in the file, file name, file identifier, and file reporting period.

Section 4.3 contains examples of the header record.

Table 4.1-1: Membership Table, SEA Header Record

Data Element Name / Start
Position / Length / Type / Pop / Definition / Comments / Permitted Values
File Type / 1 / 50 / String / M / Identifies the type of file being submitted. / SEA MEMBERSHIP TABLE
Total Records In File / 51 / 10 / Number / M / The total number of Data Records contained in the file. The header record is NOT included in this count.
File Name (Including file extension) / 61 / 25 / String / M / File Name and extension are provided by the SEA. The file name should be the same as the external file name. (Please see File Naming Convention in Section 3.0 of this document.)
File Identifier / 86 / 32 / String / M / Any combination of standard characters to further identify the file as specified by the SEA, e.g., a date, person’s name, and version number.
File Reporting Period / 118 / 9 / String / M / Enter the Academic School Year for which data is being reported. The required format for entering the File Reporting Period is "CCYY-CCYY" or "CCYY CCYY", where either a hyphen or a space must separate the beginning and ending years, e.g., 2008-2009 or 2008 2009.
Filler / 127 / 198 / String / M / Leave filler field blank.
Carriage Return / Line Feed (CRLF) / 325 / 1 / M /

4.2Data Record Definition

Data Records are required and immediately follow the header record in every file submitted to the EDEN Submission System. Data Records provide counts for the specified categories as well as subtotals and totals of the education unit.