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ContactEach questionnaire and transcript variable employed in analysis in this report is described below (test scores are discussed in section A.5). The topic headings are student and family demographic characteristics, student educational characteristics, and student coursetaking. Some readers may wish to consult the original questionnaires to obtain specific item wording and information about the context in which particular questions were posed. Web-published PDF files containing the base-year and first follow-up questionnaires are available at http://www.nces.ed.gov/surveys/els2002/index.asp. Some readers may desire to have further information about the construction of composite variables (such as socioeconomic status [SES]). The code used to construct these variables can be found in the ECB (Ingels et al. 2005b; NCES 2006-346). For users who would like to consult codebooks of hardcopy frequencies (including both percent and weighted percent) for the variables listed in this glossary, codebooks are also available as an appendix of the base-year to first follow-up data manual (Ingels et al. 2005a; http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006344). Further information about the transcript component is given in the special addendum to the base-year to first follow-up data file documentation (Bozick et al. 2006).
When the variable is available in the ELS:2002 base-year to first follow-up data file (see the public-use ECB, NCES 2006-346), the variable name appears in parentheses after the bold entry name. ELS:2002 variables used to construct a variable that is not provided in the ELS:2002 base-year data file are named in all capital letters within the descriptive text.
The ELS:2002 race variables reflect new federal standards for collecting race and ethnicity data that allow respondents to mark more than one choice for race. For base-year respondents, information on race/ethnicity was obtained from the base-year student questionnaire when available or from (in order of preference) the sampling roster, the parent questionnaire if the parent respondent was a biological parent, or logical imputation based on other questionnaire items (e.g., surname, native language). The base-year race/ethnicity questions were asked in the first follow-up for newly participating students (i.e., base-year nonrespondents).
The race/ethnicity variable for this report includes six categories: (1) American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic; (2) Asian or Pacific Islander, including Native Hawaiian, non-Hispanic; (3) Black, including African American, non-Hispanic; (4) Hispanic or Latino; (5) More than one race, non-Hispanic; and (6) White, non-Hispanic.
For base-year respondents, respondent sex was constructed from the base-year student questionnaire or, where missing, from (in order of preference) the school roster, logical imputation based on first name, or statistical imputation. In the first follow-up, students new to the study were asked whether their sex was male or female.
Socioeconomic status exists as both a continuous variable and as a categorical variable based on weighted quartiles. The categorical form of the variable (F1SES1Q) divides SES1 into quartiles based on the weighted marginal distribution. It was recoded to combine the middle two categories of the SES1QU variable. Four categories result: (1) lowest quartile of SES1 (i.e., students below the 25th percentile rank for SES); (2) lower middle quartile of SES1 (i.e., students whose SES percentile rank was at least 25th and below 50th); (3) upper middle quartile of SES1 (i.e., students whose SES percentile rank was at least 50th and below 75th); and (4) highest quartile of SES1 (i.e., students whose SES percentile rank was at least 75th).
F1SES1 is a NLS-72/HS&B/NELS:88-comparable composite variable constructed from parent questionnaire data when available and from imputation or student substitutions when not. SES is based on five equally weighted, standardized components: father's/guardian's education (F1FATHED), mother's/guardian's education (F1MOTHED), family income (BYINCOME), father's/guardian's occupational prestige score (from F1OCCUFATH), and mother's/guardian's occupational prestige score (from F1OCCUMOTH).
Father's and mother's education were based on parent report when available, otherwise student report, or if still missing, imputed. Income was based on parent questionnaire information or imputed otherwise. The parent questionnaire was the preferred source of data for mother's and father's occupation. Parent questionnaire respondents were asked to describe the father's and mother's occupations and subsequently code each into one of 17 categories. If the respondent provided only text, project staff coded the occupation. In the absence of parent questionnaire occupation data, student-supplied parent occupation text from the base year (for base-year respondents) or first follow-up (for base-year nonrespondents who responded in the first follow-up) was coded by project staff, if possible. Missing occupations were imputed. An occupation prestige value was determined based on the 1961 Duncan socioeconomic index (SEI).16
F1FCOMP is based on BYFCOMP for base-year respondents and a surrogate for first follow-up new participants. New participants were asked to answer questions about family composition that were asked of parents in the base year. Because family composition can change over time, the variable is only an approximation, in that information was gathered at either of two time points (2002 or 2004) before combining into one measure. The nine response options include (1) Mother and father, (2) Mother and male guardian, (3) Father and female guardian, (4) Two guardians, (5) Mother only, (6) Father only, (7) Female guardian only, (8) Male guardian only, and (9) Lives with student less than half time. These categories were collapsed into four: Mother and father (1), Mother or father and guardian (2 and 3), Single parent-mother or father (5 and 6), and Other (4, 7, 8, and 9).
This variable is taken directly from the student questionnaire when available and imputed otherwise. Students were asked, "As things stand now, how far in school do you think you will get?" The eight response options were (1) Less than high school graduation; (2) High school graduation or GED only; (3) Attend or complete a 2-year school course in a community college or vocational school; (4) Attend college, but not complete a 4-year degree; (5) Graduate from college; (6) Obtain a master's degree or equivalent; (7) Obtain a Ph.D., M.D., or other advanced degree; and (8) Don't know. These levels were collapsed into four categories: High school diploma or less (1 and 2), Some college (3 and 4), College graduate or higher (5, 6 and 7), and Don't Know (8).
This variable indicates the type of school attended by the respondent in the base-year interview. There were no missing data for this variable. The resulting measure includes three school sector categories: public school, Catholic school, other private school.
See section A.5 for details on the NELS:88-equated IRT-estimated number-right scores and proficiency probability levels.
This variable was constructed using the student transcript course file. All mathematics courses for which the student earned credit during 2002–03 and 2003–04, the 2 academic years between the 2 mathematics assessments, were classified in one of the following 16 categories using the Classification of Secondary School Courses (CSSC) codes, the hierarchical scheme used to classify and group subject areas and courses:
| Category | CSSC | Title |
|---|---|---|
| No Mathematics | None | None |
| Basic Mathematics | 270601 | Basic Math 1 |
| 270602 | Basic Math 2 | |
| 270603 | Basic Math 3 | |
| 270604 | Basic Math 4 | |
| General Math | 270100 | Mathematics, Other General |
| 270101 | Mathematics 7 | |
| 270102 | Mathematics 7, Accelerated | |
| 270103 | Mathematics 8 | |
| 270106 | Mathematics 1 | |
| 270107 | Mathematics 2 | |
| 541001 | General Math Skills | |
| 541009 | Functional Math Skills, Not For Credit | |
| 562700 | Special Education Math | |
| 562701 | Resource General Math | |
| 562709 | Resource General Math, Not For Credit | |
| Applied Math | 110111 | Computer Appreciation; Computer Literacy |
| 110121 | Computer Mathematics 1 | |
| 110122 | Computer Mathematics 2 | |
| 110400 | Information Sciences and Systems, Other | |
| 110500 | Systems Analysis, Other | |
| 119900 | Computer and Information Sciences, Other | |
| 270108 | Science Mathematics | |
| 270109 | Mathematics in the Arts | |
| 270110 | Mathematics, Vocational | |
| 270111 | Technical Mathematics | |
| 270114 | Consumer Mathematics | |
| 270300 | Applied Mathematics, Other | |
| 541101 | Functional Consumer Math | |
| 541109 | Functional Consumer Math, Not For Credit | |
| 541201 | Functional Vocational Math | |
| 541209 | Functional Vocational Math, Not For Credit | |
| 562711 | Resource Vocational Math | |
| 562719 | Resource Vocational Math, Not For Credit | |
| 562721 | Resource Consumer Math | |
| 562729 | Resource Consumer Math, Not For Credit | |
| Pre algebra | 270104 | Mathematics 8, Accelerated |
| 270401 | Prealgebra | |
| 270402 | Algebra 1, Part 1 | |
| 270403 | Algebra 1, Part 2 | |
| Algebra I | 270404 | Algebra 1 |
| 270421 | Mathematics 1, Unified | |
| 270427 | Unified Math 1, Part 1 | |
| 270428 | Unified Math 1, Part 2 | |
| 270441 | Algebra and Geometry | |
| Geometry | 270406 | Geometry, Plane |
| 270407 | Geometry, Solid | |
| 270408 | Geometry | |
| 270409 | Geometry, Informal | |
| 270422 | Mathematics 2, Unified | |
| 270425 | Geometry, Part 1 | |
| 270426 | Geometry, Part 2 | |
| 270429 | Pre-IB Geometry | |
| Algebra II | 270405 | Algebra 2 |
| 270410 | Algebra 3 Algebra II | |
| 270415 | Algebra and Analytic Geometry | |
| 270417 | Linear Algebra; Matrix Algebra; | |
| Trigonometry | 270411 | Trigonometry |
| 270413 | Trigonometry and Solid Geometry | |
| 270414 | Algebra and Trigonometry | |
| 270430 | Pre-IB Algebra 2/ Trigonometry | |
| Other Advanced Math | 270112 | Mathematics Review; Sat Mathematics; Senior Math |
| 270200 | Actuarial Sciences, Other | |
| 270400 | Pure Mathematics, Other | |
| 270412 | Analytic Geometry; Geometry, Advanced | |
| 270423 | Mathematics 3, Unified | |
| 270424 | Mathematics, Independent Study | |
| 270436 | Discrete Math | |
| 270437 | Finite Math | |
| 279900 | Mathematics, Other | |
| Precalculus | 270416 | Analysis, Introductory |
| Statistics | 270500 | Statistics, Other |
| 270511 | Statistics | |
| 270521 | Probability | |
| 270531 | Probability and Statistics | |
| AP/IB Math | 270431 | IB Math Methods 1 |
| (Not Calculus) | 270432 | IB Math Studies 1 |
| 270433 | IB Math Studies 2 | |
| 270532 | AP Statistics | |
| Calculus | 270418 | Calculus and Analytic Geometry |
| 270419 | Calculus | |
| AP/IB Calculus | 270420 | Calculus, Advanced Placement; |
| 270434 | IB Math Studies/Calculus | |
| 270435 | AP Calculus CD | |
| Other Math | 270113 | Mathematics Tutoring |
Course sequences were then operationalized in terms of a two-course sequence: mathematics course (if any) for which credit was earned in 2002-03 and mathematics course (if any) for which credit was earned in 2003-04. The following sequences were used for this report:
