Skip Navigation
small NCES header image
Statistical Standards
Statistical Standards Program
  1. Development of Concepts and Methods
    (467 KB, PDF)
  2. Planning and Design of Surveys
    (212 KB, PDF)
  3. Collection of Data
    (133 KB, PDF)
  4. Processing and Editing of Data
    (306 KB, PDF)
  5. Analysis of Data / Production of Estimates or Projections
    (166 KB, PDF)
  6. Establishment of Review Procedures
    (253 KB, PDF)
  7. Dissemination of Data
    (175 KB, PDF)
  8. Glossary
    (226 KB, PDF)
  9. Appendix A: Imputation
    (current Appendix B)
  10. Appendix B: Tabular Guidelines
    (current Appendix C)

2012 Revision of NCES Statistical Standards: Draft for Public Comment

This website contains the 2012 revised statistical standards and guidelines for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the principal statistical agency within the U.S. Department of Education. These standards represent modest revisions relative to the 2002 NCES Statistical Standards. The revisions are intended to align the NCES Statistical Standards with the 2006 OMB Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Surveys and to incorporate methodological and procedural changes that have occurred over the last decade. NCES welcomes public comment on this draft set of NCES Statistical Standards. The public comment period will be open from September 27, 2012 through October 26, 2012. Please send all comments to: 2012StatStandards@ed.gov

These standards are intended to assist NCES in fulfilling the goal of providing public policy decision makers and the general public informative statistical information that is: high quality, reliable, and useful. In keeping with this goal, the NCES Statistical Standards and guidelines are intended for use by NCES staff and contractors to guide them in their data collection, analysis, and dissemination activities.

These standards and guidelines are also intended to present a clear statement for data users regarding how data should be collected in NCES surveys, and the limits of acceptable applications and use. Beyond these immediate uses, we hope that other organizations involved in similar public endeavors will find the contents of some of these standards and guidelines useful in their work as well.

To access the 2012 draft NCES Statistical Standards please click on the chapter links below:

  1. Development of Concepts and Methods (467 KB, PDF)
  2. Planning and Design of Surveys (212 KB, PDF)
  3. Collection of Data (133 KB, PDF)
  4. Processing and Editing of Data (306 KB, PDF)
  5. Analysis of Data / Production of Estimates or Projections
    (166 KB, PDF)
  6. Establishment of Review Procedures (253 KB, PDF)
  7. Dissemination of Data (175 KB, PDF)
  8. Glossary (226 KB, PDF)
  9. Appendix A: Imputation (current Appendix B)
  10. Appendix B: Tabular Guidelines (current Appendix C)
Would you like to help us improve our products and website by taking a short survey?

YES, I would like to take the survey

or

No Thanks

The survey consists of a few short questions and takes less than one minute to complete.