Discussions about how to use and analyze transcripts inevitably include how to classify and measure individual courses and how to aggregate and measure groups of courses in a meaningful way. The Secondary School Taxonomy (SST) was developed in the 1980s by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) as a framework for aggregating and…

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collects data, directs analyses, and publishes information concerning the condition of education in the United States. In this role, NCES has collected transcript data since 1982. The power of transcript data, however, can be undermined by the use of differing definitions, conflicting…

National databases are not necessarily useful for specific school district needs. Participating sites in the High Schools that Work program have adapted several data collection procedures from national studies to serve their own information needs and assess the effectiveness of local program changes. (SK)