Data Dictionary
The Data Dictionary contains detailed information about each of Raise DC’s core and contributing indicators. Click to expand an area below to learn more about each data point, the business rules used in calculations, its source, and, where applicable, links to access change that has occurred over time.
KINDERGARTEN READINESS
On Track in All Domains
Description: The percentage of DC 4-year-old children who are “on track” in all developmental domains (physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, communication skills and general knowledge), as measured by the Early Development Instrument (EDI).
Business Rules:
# of children who are “on track” in all domains
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# of children with a valid EDI record
Data Notes:
EDI Population: All publicly funded pre-K 4 programs in DC are invited to participate in the EDI, including those offered through a DC Public School, public charter school, or community-based organization. The 2016 EDI dataset includes valid records for more than 4,600 4-year-olds in more than 350 classrooms in 116 schools. A record is considered valid if the child was in the classroom for more than one month and if the teacher completed assessment items in at least four of the five domains.
“On track” vs. “On track in all domains”:
“On track”, “at risk”, and “vulnerable” outcome categories are determined by cutoffs in a nationally normed distribution scale. Children scoring between the 0-10th percentile in an individual domain are considered vulnerable, while children within the 10th-25th percentile are “at risk,” and children above the 25th percentile are “on track.”
A child is considered “on track” if the domain score is above the 25th percentile cutoff.
Domain data is used to determine if, overall, a child is “on track in all domains.”
An overwhelming majority of children who were “on track in all domains” were scored in all five domains. Fewer than 1% of the children with a valid EDI record were assessed only in four domains.
Additional Notes: “At risk” refers to children whose domain score falls within the 10th-25th percentile cutoff score in the corresponding domain. While the EDI “at risk” definition is a measure of kindergarten readiness, “at risk” has a different definition for children and youth in DC schools. Please see Demographic Factors and Key Subgroups for more information.
Visit EDI Glossary of Terms for additional definitions or Our Children, Our Community, Our Change to use the sharable EDI toolkit.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
Four-year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate
Description: The percentage of students in the citywide adjusted cohort who graduate with a high school diploma from a DC public or public charter school within four years of entering high school.
Business Rules:
# of students in the SY2013-2014 adjusted cohort who graduated with a high school diploma in or before SY2017-2018
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# of students in the SY2013-2014 adjusted cohort
Data Notes:
The adjusted cohort refers to a cohort of first-time 9th grade students that is subsequently “adjusted” by adding new students who enter DC public or public charter schools at any point during the next three years and subtracting students who exit (ie: transfer out, emigrate to another country, or become deceased) from DC public or public charter schools during that same period. The citywide adjusted cohort is used in this calculation.
For additional information, please visit OSSE’s Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate Policy Guide.
Data Source: OSSE, Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rates
Five-year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate
Description: The percentage of students in the citywide adjusted cohort who graduate with a high school diploma from a DC public or public charter school within five years of entering high school.
Business Rules:
# of students in the SY2012-2013 adjusted cohort who graduated with a high school diploma in or before SY2017-2018
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# of students in the SY2012-2013 adjusted cohort
Data Notes:
The adjusted cohort refers to a cohort of first-time 9th grade students that is subsequently “adjusted” by adding new students who enter DC public or public charter schools at any point during the next three years and subtracting students who exit (ie: transfer out, emigrate to another country, or become deceased) DC public or public charter schools during that same period. The citywide adjusted cohort is used in this calculation.
For additional information, please visit OSSE’s Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate Policy Guide.
Data Source: OSSE, Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rates
3rd Grade Reading Proficiency
Description: The percentage of 3rd grade students who scored a Level 4 or Level 5 on the Partnership for Readiness in College and Career (PARCC) English Language Arts (ELA) assessment.
Business Rules:
# of 3rd grade students who scored a Level 4 or Level 5 on the PARCC ELA assessment
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# of 3rd grade students enrolled in a DC public or public charter school with a valid PARCC ELA assessment score
Data Notes:
The math proficiency figure reported above only includes the scores of 8th grade students who took the PARCC math assessment.
The PARCC assessment is DC’s statewide standardized test. DC made the switch from DC CAS to PARCC starting in SY2014-2015. Historical DC CAS data may be found via the OSSE website.
Data Source: OSSE’s Next Gen Assessment Reporting Suite
8th Grade Math Proficiency
Description: The percentage of 8th grade students who scored a Level 4 or Level 5 on the Partnership for Readiness in College and Career (PARCC) math assessment.
Business Rules:
# of 8th grade students who scored a Level 4 or Level 5 on the PARCC math assessment
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# of 8th grade students enrolled in a DC public or public charter school with a valid PARCC math assessment score
Data Notes:
The math proficiency figure reported above only includes the scores of 8th grade students who took the PARCC math assessment.
The PARCC assessment is DC’s statewide standardized test. DC made the switch from DC CAS to PARCC starting in SY2014-2015. Historical DC CAS data may be found via the OSSE website.
Data Source: OSSE’s Next Gen Assessment Reporting Suite
RECONNECTION TO SCHOOL AND/OR WORK
Data coming soon
POSTSECONDARY ENROLLMENT & COMPLETION
Data coming soon
CAREER PREPAREDNESS
Data coming soon
Demographic Factors & Key Subgroups
Indicators of a Student’s Family Economic Status:
Direct Certification: Direct certification is a student-level designation based on whether a student qualifies for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment. (Source: OSSE)
Free/Reduced Price Lunch: The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), available nationwide beginning in SY14-15, enables all students enrolled in eligible schools to receive school meals at no cost. Schools that opt-in to the CEP are no longer required to collect individual household free and reduced price meal applications. As a result, free and reduced price lunch data should be used as a barometer to view community-level trends, rather than a precise individual-level measure of household economic status. (Source: OSSE)
Economically Disadvantaged: Economically disadvantaged is a student-level designation. An individual is identified as economically disadvantaged if any of the following criteria are met:
Meets the Direct Certification designation
Receives Free/Reduced Price Meals based on income eligibility
Attends a CEP school
Free/Reduced Price Lunch
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), available nationwide beginning in SY14-15, enables all students enrolled in eligible schools to receive school meals at no cost. Schools that opt in to the CEP are no longer required to collect individual household free and reduced price meal applications. As a result, free and reduced price lunch data should be used as a barometer to view community-level trends, rather than a precise measure of household economic status. (Source: OSSE)
Click here for more information about free and reduced price lunch and CEP in DC.
English as a Second Language
A program of techniques, methodology, and special curriculum designed to teach English Language Learner (ELL) students English language skills, which may include listening, speaking, reading, writing, study skills, content vocabulary, and cultural orientation. ESL instruction is usually in English with little use of native language. An ELL student is a national-origin-minority student who is limited-English-proficient. (Source: US Department of Education)
In DC, several terms are used interchangeably to refer to students whose first language is a language other than English and who are receiving ESL. Such terms include: English Learners, English Language Learners, limited-English proficient, and English as a Second Language. Click here for more information about English Language Learners in DC.
Individual Education Plan
Children who have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) fall under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children. (Source: OSSE)
At Risk
Students enrolled in a DC public or public charter school are considered “at risk” if they are identified as homeless, in the District’s foster care system, qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or high school students who are one or more years older than the expected age for their grade level. (Source: OSSE)
Please note that this definition of "at risk" differs from the Early Development Instrument, which describes individuals who are at risk of becoming vulnerable in early childhood developmental domains. Please see Kindergarten Readiness above for more details.
Students with Disabilities
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children. Those children must have an Individual Education Plan (IEP). (Source: OSSE)