If you have ever taken a look at LEA-level EDFacts files, you know what strange creatures they are. No LEA names are used, only LEA codes. There are no column headers, only a file header spanning the first five commas or columns. It just looks like an odd group of rows of numbers and letters connected by commas if you have opened the file in Notepad. Or, if you are looking at the file in Excel, it appears to be a spreadsheet with several, randomly spaced blank columns and rows with numbers and letters scattered among lots of blank cells.
[**Drumroll, please**] Enter IDC’s handy new LEA-level edit check tools for FS002 and FS089—the school age and early childhood child count and educational environments files. The official names of the tools are LEA EDFacts Edit Check Tool - IDEA School Age Child Count and LEA EDFacts Edit Check Tool - IDEA Early Childhood Child Count. IDC designed the tools to help make your jobs as Part B data managers and EDFacts coordinators just a little more manageable.
These two new edit check tools can help you more easily review your state’s LEA child count and educational environments files by parsing the data in the files into easy-to-read tables. All of the required Category Sets and Subtotals display in clearly labeled tables making it a snap to confirm whether everything adds up as it should. These tools contain numerous format and data validation checks, including the ones required for successful submission in the EDFacts Submission System (ESS).
In addition to using the new edit check tools to prepare your state’s LEA-level child count and educational environments data for submission, you also can use the data summary tables in the tool with your SEA staff as they prepare for LEA monitoring, as part of risk assessment, and for other decisionmaking purposes. After applying your state’s n size for masking data for public reporting, you also can use the tables in the tools as optional LEA-level data displays to facilitate discussions with stakeholders.
We hope you will find the new LEA EDFacts edit check tools very helpful in your state’s work to collect, report, analyze, and use high-quality Part B data. Visit the IDC website to explore our full collection of edit check tools, and remember, IDC’s State Liaisons are always available to answer your questions and assist with your data quality work.
–Terry Long