Mississippi Report Card for 2001-2002
Part A: Report on Mississippi's Public Schools
(Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

Test Data File Descriptions

All the test data appearing in the Mississippi Report Card are available as comma-delimited data files and as Excel 2000 spreadsheets.

Mississippi Curriculum Test--Grade Level Testing (for grades 2-8)
      MCT02-RC.TXT = Comma-delimited File
      MCT02-RC.XLS = Excel 2000 Spreadsheet

Mississippi Curriculum Test--Instructional Level Testing (for Levels 12-18)
      MCTI2-RC.TXT = Comma-delimited File
      MCTI2-RC.XLS = Excel 2000 Spreadsheet

Writing Assessment (for grades 4 and 7)
      WA02-RC.TXT = Comma-delimited File
      WA02-RC.XLS = Excel 2000 Spreadsheet

Subject Area Testing Program (for certain courses)
      SATP2-RC.TXT = Comma-delimited File
      SATP2-RC.XLS = Excel 2000 Spreadsheet

Functional Literacy Examination
      FLE01-RC.TXT = Comma-delimited File
      FLE01-RC.XLS = Excel 2000 Spreadsheet

Norm-Referenced Assessment--the TerraNova Survey (for grades 5,8)
      NRT02-RC.TXT = Comma-delimited File
      NRT02-RC.XLS = Excel 2000 Spreadsheet

ACT Results for 2001-2002 graduating seniors
      ACT02-RC.TXT = Comma-delimited File
      ACT02-RC.XLS = Excel 2000 Spreadsheet

DISAGGREGATION BY SUBGROUP

To the extent possible, all test data are disaggregated by subgroup as required by federal law. The codes used to label the columns/fields containing data for each subgroup are listed below followed by additional information about test data disaggregation.

      ALL=All students in the state, the district, or the school
      NDO=Non-Disabled Students Only
      DO=Only Students with Disabilities under IDEA
      MAL=Male
      FEM=Female
      BLK=Black
      WHT=White
      ASI=Asian
      HIS=Hispanic
      NAM=Native American
      OTH=Other Ethnicity
      ELL=English Language Learner
      ED=Economically Disadvantaged
      NED=Not Economically Disadvantaged
      MIG=Migrant

The determination of a student's classification in the following subgroups was made on the basis of the information that was gridded on the student's test answer document.

      NDO=Non-Disabled Students Only ("IDEA" not bubbled)
      DO=Only Students with Disabilities ("IDEA" bubbled)
      MAL=Male
      FEM=Female
      BLK=Black
      WHT=White
      ASI=Asian
      HIS=Hispanic
      NAM=Native American
      OTH=Other Ethnicity
      ELL=English Language Learner

The initial determination of a student's classification in the following subgroups was made on the basis of the demographic information in the student's MSIS record (MSIS is Mississippi's new statewide student level database). Data for these subgroups represented students whose test data could be accurately matched to the MSIS database. The statewide match rate for assessments ranged from 85% to 92%, but the match rate for individual districts and schools may have been higher or lower.

      ED=Economically Disadvantaged
      NED=Non-Economically Disadvantaged
      MIG=Migrant

The economically disadvantaged and non-economically disadvantaged subgroups are available for the districts and schools who chose to update the data in MSIS. For schools and districts where it was not possible to obtain accurate free lunch participation data for individual students, the columns for those subgroups are blank.

DATA LAYOUT INFORMATION

The data from the different statewide testing programs are contained in separate data files and Excel 97 spreadsheets, as indicated at the top of this page. However, within each separate data file there are data records for several different tests, sections of tests, or grade levels, and different records for certain kinds of test data.

Each record in each file begins with six columns/fields that identify the data contained in the remainder of the record. These fields are:

(1) 4-character District Code (0000 on state level data records)
(2) 3-character School Code (000 on district and state level records)
(3) 3-character RECORD TYPE INDICATOR (described later for each test)
(4) 4-character Testing Program Code (the same throughout each file)
(5) 4-character Subject Area/Test Section Code (described later for each test)
(6) 3-character Grade/Test Level Code (described later for each test)

Test results for all students and the disaggregated subgroups begin in the seventh column/field. The number of data columns varies depending on the test. Following the data column for the last sugroup is the name of the school (or the text, "District Level Data" or "State Level Data"). The next column contains the name of the school district ("Mississippi" on state level records). The last data column in each record is the character, "#".

Although all the data files are comma-delimited and can easily be imported into most computer applications (spreadsheets, database applications, etc.), the fields are all of fixed length and the data records are all the same length. This format allows the data to be read easily by applications expecting fixed length records and fixed field lengths (e.g., some mainframe statistical analysis systems).

A separate section for each testing program follows:

MISSISSIPPI CURRICULUM TEST -- Grade Level Testing

11,398 Records; 2.5mb
(1) All records contain the test code "MCT ".
(2) The content areas are identified as follows:
      READ=Reading
      LANG=Language
      MATH=Mathematics
(3) The grade levels are identified as follows:
      GR2=Grade 2 (same format used for grades 3-8)
(4) For the "all students" group and for all subgroups, there are two separate data values. The first number indicates the percentage of students with scores in the proficiency levels "Basic and Above". The second number indicates the percentage of students with scores in the proficiency levels "Proficient and Above". The percentage of students in the lowest proficiency level (Minimal) can be determined by subtracting the percentage at "Basic and Above" from 100%. The percentage of students in the highest proficiency level (Advanced) cannot be determined from the data in the file.
(5) If data values are blank, there were no students in that category, or the number of students tested in that category was between 1 and 9 and the data were suppressed for reasons of reporting reliability and/or student confidentiality. It is possible to determine whether any students were tested by viewing the Report Card data for the district or school. In the HTML files, a dash "-" appears if there were no students tested and a less than symbol "<" appears if the student n-count was between 1 and 9.
(6) Data records for all grade levels and content areas appear in the file sorted within the appropriate school district and school. The third field in the record is the RECORD TYPE INDICATOR. It can be used to filter the records in the file to allow appropriate analyses. The MCT record type codes are as follows:
      101=Grade 2 Reading
      105=Grade 2 Language
      109=Grade 2 Math
      113=Grade 3 Reading
      117=Grade 3 Language
      121=Grade 3 Math
      125=Grade 4 Reading
      129=Grade 4 Language
      133=Grade 4 Math
      137=Grade 5 Reading
      141=Grade 5 Language
      145=Grade 5 Math
      149=Grade 6 Reading
      153=Grade 6 Language
      157=Grade 6 Math
      161=Grade 7 Reading
      165=Grade 7 Language
      169=Grade 7 Math
      173=Grade 8 Reading
      177=Grade 8 Language
      181=Grade 8 Math

MISSISSIPPI CURRICULUM TEST -- Instructional Level Testing

7,907 Records; 1.7mb
(1) All records contain the test code "MCT ".
(2) The content areas are identified as follows:
      READ=Reading
      LANG=Language
      MATH=Mathematics
(3) Appropriate levels of the tests are administered to certain students with disabilities who cannot take the tests at grade level. The test results are reported by test level. The test levels are identified as follows:
      L12=Level 12 (same format used for levels 13-18)
(4) For the "all students" group and for all subgroups, there are two separate data values. The first number indicates the percentage of students with scores in the proficiency levels "Basic and Above". The second number indicates the percentage of students with scores in the proficiency levels "Proficient and Above". The percentage of students in the lowest proficiency level, "Minimal", can be determined by subtracting the percentage at "Basic and Above" from 100%. The percentage of students in the highest proficiency level, "Advanced", cannot be determined from the data in the file.
(5) If data values are blank, there were no students in that category, or the number of students tested in that category was between 1 and 9 and the data were suppressed for reasons of reporting reliability and/or student confidentiality. It is possible to determine whether any students were tested by viewing the Report Card data for the district or school. In the HTML files, a dash "-" appears if there were no students tested and a less than symbol "<" appears if the student n-count was between 1 and 9.
(6) Data records for all grade levels and content areas appear in the file sorted within the appropriate school district and school. The third field in the record is the RECORD TYPE INDICATOR. It can be used to filter the records in the file to allow appropriate analyses. The MCT instructional level testing record type codes are as follows:
      601=Level 12 Reading
      605=Level 12 Language
      609=Level 12 Math
      613=Level 13 Reading
      617=Level 13 Language
      621=Level 13 Math
      625=Level 14 Reading
      629=Level 14 Language
      633=Level 14 Math
      637=Level 15 Reading
      641=Level 15 Language
      645=Level 15 Math
      649=Level 16 Reading
      653=Level 16 Language
      657=Level 16 Math
      661=Level 17 Reading
      665=Level 17 Language
      669=Level 17 Math
      673=Level 18 Reading
      677=Level 18 Language
      681=Level 18 Math

WRITING ASSESSMENT

1,051 Records; 228kb
(1) All records contain the test code "WRIT".
(2) The content area field is blank on all records.
(3) The grade levels are identified as follows:
      GR4=Grade 4
      GR7=Grade 7
(4) For the "all students" group and for all subgroups, there are two separate data values. The first number indicates the percentage of students with scores of 2 or higher (on a 4-point writing rubric). The second number indicates the percentage of students with scores of 3 or higher. The percentage of students scoring 0 or 1 can be determined by subtracting the percentage scoring 2 or higher from 100%. The percentage of students scoring 4 cannot be determined from the data in the file.
(5) If data values are blank, there were no students in that category, or the number of students tested in that category was between 1 and 9 and the data were suppressed for reasons of reporting reliability and/or student confidentiality. It is possible to determine whether any students were tested by viewing the Report Card data for the district or school. In the HTML files, a dash "-" appears if there were no students tested and a less than symbol "<" appears if the student n-count was between 1 and 9.
(6) Data records for both grade levels appear in the file sorted within the appropriate school district and school. The third field in the record is the RECORD TYPE INDICATOR. It can be used to filter the records in the file to allow appropriate analyses. The Writing Assessment record type codes are as follows:
      201=Grade 4
      205=Grade 7

SUBJECT AREA TESTING PROGRAM

2,534 Records; 372kb
(1) All records contain the test code "SATP".
(2) The subject area tests are identified as follows:
      ALG1=Algebra I
      BIOL=Biology I
      ENGL=English II
      HIST=U.S. History from 1877
(3) The components of the English II assessment are identified as follows:
      RLC=Reading & Language Conventions
      NAR=Narrative essay
      INF=Informative essay
(4) For the "all students" group and for all subgroups, there is a single data value. For all tests except the narrative and informative English II essays, that value is the average scale score. For the English II essays, the value represents the average writing rubric score (raw score).
(5) If the data value is blank, there were no students in that category, or the number of students tested in that category was between 1 and 9 and the data were suppressed for reasons of reporting reliability and/or student confidentiality. It is possible to determine whether any students were tested by viewing the Report Card data for the district or school. In the HTML files, a dash "-" appears if there were no students tested and a less than symbol "<" appears if the student n-count was between 1 and 9.
(6) Data records for all the subject area tests and data for all components of the English II test appear in the file sorted within the appropriate school district and school. The third field in the record is the RECORD TYPE INDICATOR. It can be used to filter the records in the file to allow appropriate analyses. The SATP record type codes are as follows:
      303=Algebra 1
      307=Biology
      311=U.S. History
      315=English II Reading/Language Conventions
      319=English II Narrative Essay
      323=English II Informative Essay

FUNCTIONAL LITERACY EXAM

1,977 Records; 313kb
(1) All records contain the test code "FLE ".
(2) The sections of the FLE are identified as follows:
      READ=Reading
      MATH=Mathematics
      WRIT=Written Communication
      COMP=Composite Score
      PASS=Percentage of students passing the test
(3) For the "all students" group and for all subgroups, there is a single data value. For each section of the test and for the composite, the value is the average scale score. On the "PASS" type record, the value is the percentage of first-time takers passing the entire FLE.
(4) If the data value is blank, there were no students in that category, or the number of students tested in that category was between 1 and 9 and the data were suppressed for reasons of reporting reliability and/or student confidentiality. It is possible to determine whether any students were tested by viewing the Report Card data for the district or school. In the HTML files, a dash "-" appears if there were no students tested and a less than symbol "<" appears if the student n-count was between 1 and 9.
(5) Data records for all sections of the FLE and for the percentage passing appear in the file sorted within the appropriate school district and school. The third field in the record is the RECORD TYPE INDICATOR. It can be used to filter the records in the file to allow appropriate analyses. The FLE record type codes are as follows:
      327=Reading
      331=Mathematics
      335=Written Communication
      338=Composite Score
      339=Percentage of students passing the test

NORM-REFERENCED ASSESSMENT (TerraNova Survey)

3,070 Records; 486kb
(1) All records contain the test code "NRT ".
(2) The content areas are identified as follows:
      READ=Reading
      LANG=Language
      MATH=Mathematics
(3) The grade levels are identified as follows:
      GR3=Grade 3 (same format used for grades 5,8)
(4) For the "all students" group and for all subgroups, there is a single data value. The value is the average NCE score.
(5) If the data value is blank, there were no students in that category, or the number of students tested in that category was between 1 and 9 and the data were suppressed for reasons of reporting reliability and/or student confidentiality. It is possible to determine whether any students were tested by viewing the Report Card data for the district or school. In the HTML files, a dash "-" appears if there were no students tested and a less than symbol "<" appears if the student n-count was between 1 and 9.
(6) Data records for all grade levels and content areas appear in the file sorted within the appropriate school district and school. The third field in the record is the RECORD TYPE INDICATOR. It can be used to filter the records in the file to allow appropriate analyses. The NRT record type codes are as follows:
      527=Grade 5 Reading
      531=Grade 5 Language
      535=Grade 5 Math
      563=Grade 8 Reading
      567=Grade 8 Language
      571=Grade 8 Math

ACT for Graduating Seniors

791 Records; 60kb
(1) All records contain the test code "ACT ".
(2) The reported value is the ACT composite score:
      COMP=Composite Score
(3) ACT data are reported two ways--for students who have taken the college prep or "core" courses and for all students who took the ACT. The codes are as follows:
      COR=Data for "Core" (or college prep students)
      ALL=Data for all students taking the ACT
(4) For the "all students" group, there is a single data value. The value is the average scale score.
(5) If the data value is blank, there were no students in that category, or the number of students in that category who took the ACT was between 1 and 9 and the data were suppressed for reasons of reporting reliability and/or student confidentiality. It is possible to determine whether any students were tested by viewing the Report Card data for the district or school. In the HTML files, a dash "-" appears if there were no students tested and a less than symbol "<" appears if the student n-count was between 1 and 9.
(6) Two types of data records appear in the file sorted within the appropriate school district and school. The third field in the record is the RECORD TYPE INDICATOR. It can be used to filter the records in the file to allow appropriate analyses. The ACT record type codes are as follows:
      903=Data for "Core" (or college prep students)
      907=Data for all students taking the ACT