X004 Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Not Completing NCLB Assessments XML Specifications

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Education Data Exchange Network (EDEN)

X004 – Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Not Completing NCLB Assessments XML Specifications

Version 4.3

SY 2007-08

January 2009

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONX004 – Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Not

Completing NCLB Assessments XML Specifications v4.3

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

Arne Duncan

Secretary

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

Tom Skelly

Acting Assistant Secretary

January 2009

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, X004 – Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Not Completing NCLB Assessments XML Specifications, Washington, D.C., 2008.

This technical guide is also available on the Department’s Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/edfacts

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: / X004 – Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Not Completing NCLB Assessments XML Specifications
Revision: / Version 4.3
Issue Date: / January 2009
Security Level: / Unclassified – For Official Use Only
Filename: / X004 - Child w Disab Not Compl NCLB Assmt v4.3.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 / April 2008 /

Updated for SY 2007-08.

Section 1.0 data group name changed.
Definition change in 4.2 and 5.2.
Permitted value changes in 4.1 and 5.1.
Sections 2.0 and 3.0 were flipped.

4.1 / December 2008 /

Added “MEDICAL – Absent due to medical emergency” for Reason for Not Completing Assessment.
Section 2.0 – Added guidance on collecting data by Science.
Sections 4.1 and 5.1 – Added permitted value “science” is optional for the data element academic subject (assessment).

4.2 / December 2008 /

Section 6 – Appendix – Updated IDEA Assessment EDFacts crosswalk.

4.3 / January 2009 /

Section 6 – Appendix – Updated IDEA Assessment EDFacts crosswalk.

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 2006-07 File Specifications

1.2Requirements for Submitting this Data Group

2.0GUIDANCE FOR SUBMITTING THIS FILE

2.1Definition

3.0FILE NAMING CONVENTION

3.1XML Specification Headings

4.0STATE EDUCATION AGENCY METRIC OBJECTS

4.1Category XML Object

4.2Table Type XML Object

4.3Agency XML Object

4.4File Transmit XML Object

5.0LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY METRIC OBJECTS

5.1Category XML Object

5.2Table Type XML Object

5.3Agency XML Object

5.4File Transmit XML Object

6.0APPENDIX SY 2007-08 IDEA ASSESSMENT EDFACTS CROSSWALK

January 2009 / 1 / SY 2007-08

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONX004 – Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Not

Completing NCLB Assessments XML Specifications v4.3

1.0PURPOSE

This document contains instructions for building XML files to submit EDFacts Data Group: Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Not Completing NCLB Assessments Table, ID# 491. The definition for this data group is in the row “Table Name” in Table 4.2-1.

The data collected through this file specification are currently collected through Table 6 “Report of Participation and Performance of Students with Disabilities on State Assessments” as reauthorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA ’04). Refer to the Appendix for a crosswalk between this file and the applicable sections of Table 6.

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

1.1Changes from the SY 2006-07 File Specifications

There have been changes to this file specification that did not result in changes to the record layout.

The modifier "NCLB" was added to assessments to clarify which assessments. Permitted value "No Valid Score" was added as a reason for not completing the NCLB assessments.
The collection at the school level was officially removed. The file specification for SY 2006-07 did not include collection at the school level even though it was included in the package for SY 2006-07.
The permitted values for Reading and Language Arts were combined to a single permitted value (RLA).
Science was added as a permitted value.
High School was added as a permitted value for Grade Level (Assessment).
Additional guidance has been provided in Section 2.0.
Appendix for IDEA (Assessment) – EDFacts Crosswalk was added.

1.2Requirements for Submitting this Data Group

The data group is submitted at the following levels:

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 grand total, specify a “Y” (Yes).

Table 1.2–1: Child W Disab (IDEA) Not Completing NCLB Assessments Tables, Required Categories, and Applicable Totals

Category Set / Table Name / Academic Subject (Assessment) / Grade Level (Assessment) / Reason for Not Completing Assessment / Total Indicator / Comments
Category Set A / NIDEACMPASSTM / X / X / X / N / Student Count by
Academic Subject
(Assessment), Grade
Level (Assessment), and Reason for Not Completing NCLB Assessments
Subtotal 1 / NIDEACMPASSTM / X / Y / Subtotal by Academic Subject (Assessment)

2.0GUIDANCE FOR SUBMITTING THIS FILE

This file specification is used to collect the number of children with disabilities (IDEA) who did not complete the state NCLB assessments.

See below for additional guidance concerning this file:

What is the reporting period for this file?

The reporting period for this file is the state NCLB assessment testing window.

Is the count duplicated or unduplicated?

Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Not Completing NCLB Assessments Table (ID# 491) includes the data category “academic subject” in category set A. The data are duplicative because each student should have data for each academic subject (i.e., Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science). However, for each academic subject, the data should be unduplicated.

Are parentally-placed private school students with disabilities included?

No. Parentally-placed private school students are not included in the assessment counts.

What education units should be included in the file?

Include all LEAs that reported child count data for N/X002, even if the count is zero.

What part of DANS reports does this file specification populate?

There are several file specifications that collect related data on the state NCLB assessments of children with disabilities (IDEA). These file specifications populate Table 6/Assessment: Report of the Participation and Performance of Students with Disabilities on State Assessments by Content Area, Grade, and Type of Assessment (OMB #1820-0659).

Table 6 collects three types of data on assessments: participation, no assessment, and results.

N/X093 (ID# 618) is used to submit the participation by type of assessment.
N/X004 (ID# 491) is used to submit the data on students not assessed by the reasons not assessed and students with invalid results.
N/X003 (ID# 447) is used to submit the results of the assessments.

Do I need to include records for every grade?

For reporting at the SEA level, reported grade levels should be the same as those reported for NCLB:

For reading and math, grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, plus once during high school.
Decision rules used to assign a grade level are the same as for purposes of NCLB reporting.
Records for the LEAs need only include those grade levels offered in the LEA.

How should I handle zero counts?

SEA level submission - Zero counts must be included for the category set and subtotal.

LEA level submissions – If the count for an entire LEA is zero, submit only subtotal 1 as zero. If some of the combinations of permitted values of the category set are zero while others are 1 or greater, the zero counts can be left out of the file.

How should I handle Missing data?

SEA level submission – Submit data when data are available. If you determine that one or more of the categories are not available, note in your state’s submission plan that the file will not be submitted. Note that the data will be transferred to DANS. If some of the data are missing, an error will trigger and you will be contacted by OSEP and or OSEP’s contractor.

LEA level submission –

If all counts for an LEA are missing, the LEA can be left out of the file. In your state’s submission plan, include the LEA in the count of LEAs expected to submit the data. The records for that LEA should be submitted when data are available.
If counts are missing for some combinations of permitted values but not all, submit the data you have. Missing counts (-1) can be left out of the file. The file should be resubmitted when the remaining data are available.

Are data by science required?

No, for SY 2007-08, data by science is optional.

What if I have some LEAs that have complete category sets and some have incomplete?

Missing some of the data for some of the LEAs that results in incomplete category sets (e.g., don’t have grade level) are treated as the entire category set is missing. ESS does not allow some LEAs to submit incomplete category sets while other LEAs submit complete category sets.

2.1Definition

The following definition supports this file:

Children with Disabilities (IDEA)

A children with mental retardation, hearing impairment including deafness, speech or language impairment, visual impairment including blindness, serious emotional disturbance (hereafter referred to as emotional disturbance), orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, developmental delay, other health impairment, specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who, by reason thereof, receive special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) according to an individualized education program (IEP). [1]

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 Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Not Completing NCLB Assessments file submissions:

sslevCWDIDEANAvvvvvvv.xml

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 Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Not Completing NCLB Assessments submission

LEA for a Local Education Agency Children with Disabilities (IDEA) Not Completing NCLB Assessments submission

Filename= CWDIDEANA (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).

.xml= The three–character file extension identifying the Data Records.

3.1XML Specification Headings

The XML specifications are represented in a table with the headings:

Element – name of the XML element tag.
Attribute – name of the XML attribute tag.
Category Value – name of the category.
Char – the XML element or attribute characteristic as previously defined.
Definition/Comments – definition and additional comments related to formats or other business rules.
Permitted Values – disaggregated values for data elements.

The Char (characteristics) column in the XML format matrices accepts the following codes:

Table 3.1–1: EDEN XML Format Codes

Code / Characteristic
M / Mandatory Element/Attribute
O / Optional
C / Conditionally Required
MR / Mandatory and Repeatable Element
OR / Optional and Repeatable Element
CR / Conditional and Repeatable Element

4.0STATE EDUCATION AGENCY METRIC OBJECTS

In order to simplify the transmission process, the State Education Agency (SEA) has been separated into three (3) distinct metric and file transmit XML objects. The XML metric and file transmit objects are the same structure regardless of the metric information being transmitted. The structure contains a node that defines the SEA corresponding to the submitted metric. In addition, the structure contains nodes representing characteristics of the metric (Academic Subject (Assessment), Grade Level, etc.), the associated value, and whether the metric value is a subtotal or grand total. The metric objects are contained within the file transmission objects that define the group of values being submitted.

4.1Category XML Object

The category XML object is used to define the characteristics associated with a count. There may be zero, one, or more categories defined for a count. The XML object matrix is followed by an example of the object.

Table 4.1–1: SEA, Category XML Object

Element / Attribute / Data Element Name
(from Fixed Format document) / Category
Value / Char / Definition / Comments / Permitted Values
CATEGORY
TYPE / M / The category(ies) for the table type.
Academic Subject (Assessment) / ACADSUBASSES
Grade Level (Assessment) / GRADELVLASS
Reason for Not Completing Assessment / REASNOASSESS
VALUE / M / The category permitted value.
ACADSUBASSES / The description of the content or subject area of an assessment. / RLA – Reading (Language Arts)
M – Mathematics
S – Science (optional)
GRADELVLASS / The grade level (primary instructional level) at which students are assessed. / 03 – Grade 3
04 – Grade 4
05 – Grade 5
06 – Grade 6
07 – Grade 7
08 – Grade 8
09 – Grade 9
10 – Grade 10
11 – Grade 11
12 – Grade 12
HS – High School
MISSING
REASNOASSESS / Reasons why assessments in accordance with NCLB were not completed by children with disabilities. / EXEMPT – Exempt due to parental decision
ABSENT– Absent during the testing window
EXPOTHER – Exempt for other reasons
NOTNCLB – Assessment not in accordance with NCLB
NOSCORE – No valid score.
MEDICAL – Absent due to medical emergency
MISSING

Example:

4.2Table Type XML Object

The table type XML object is used to define the type and value of the count. It may contain category XML objects to define additional characteristics. The XML object matrix is followed by an example of the object.

Table 4.2–1: SEA, Table Type XML Object

Element / Data Element Name
(from Fixed Format document) / Attribute / Char / Definition / Comments / Permitted Values
TABLETYPE
Table Name / TYPEABBRV / M / The number of children with disabilities (IDEA) who did not complete the state NCLB assessment requirements. / NIDEACMPASSTM
Total Indicator / TOTALINDICATOR / M / An indicator that defines the count level (i.e., detail level, subtotal level or grand total level). / N – Specifies detail level
Y – Specifies a subtotal total level.
CATEGORY / MR / The categories used to define the characteristics associated with the count.
AMOUNT / Student Count / M / If the count provided is either a subtotal or grand total, it must be equal to or greater than the sum of its parts.
EXPLANATION / Explanation / O / Submitted files will be processed through various edit checks. When unusual conditions are detected, warning errors may be issued, even though the data may be valid. When this occurs, an explanation responding to the warning may be submitted with the data, or after files have been processed. The U.S. Department of Education will verify explanations, and after verification, accept the data.

The following example includes three detail records and the three corresponding subtotals.