Are you a parent who is eager to know and compare different courses being offered across the District? Are you a local education agency (LEA) that has received transfer students from another LEA but having trouble interpreting their previous transcript or coursework?
Imagine a world where all courses are coded into a simple and standardized system, as if we are all speaking the same “language” about course data, when all AP US History are coded as “04104,” and all Honors-level courses as denoted as “H”… How much easier it will be to document, interpret, and compare course data across the District!
Good news is, we are one step closer to this goal! OSSE is excited to introduce the OSSE State Course Catalog V2_0.xlsx (live.com) in the 2023-24 school year Course Data Collection process. The OSSE State Course Catalog is developed upon the School Courses for the Exchange of Data (SCED), which is developed by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES).
What is SCED?
The SCED is a voluntary, common classification system for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade courses (pre-K-12). It includes elements and attributes that identify basic course information.
As noted in the Forum Guide to Understanding the School Courses for the Exchange of Data (SCED) Classification System, SCED Course Code is a “five-digit code that provides a standardized number for the general subject area and specific subject of the course: the first two digits of the code represent the Course Subject Area and the next three digits indicate the specific Course Number. SCED Course Codes are general but provide enough specificity to identify the course’s topic and distinguish it from other courses in that Course Subject Area.” The below graph illustrates how the Course Subject Area and Course Number combine to form the Course Code:
To ensure the consistency and comparability of DC’s course codes with other states, the OSSE State Course Catalog includes all SCED Course Codes from SCED V10, with a number of new course codes added to accommodate the unique Career and Technical Education (CTE) course offerings in the District.
What is an OSSE Course Identifier?
OSSE uses the SCED framework to create an OSSE Course Identifier – a unique, 12-digit code for each course collected in state reporting. There are four separate components to this code that provide context about the courses offered by an LEA:
- OSSE Course Code combining Course Subject Area and Course Number
- OSSE Course Level
- Carnegie Units or Grade Span
- Course Sequence indicating where the course lies as part of a standardized course sequence.
Examples:
Prior-to-Secondary Course (Mathematics (Grade 2)): 02032G020211
Secondary Course (Civics): 04161G1.0011
Adult Course (English as a Second Language One): 01008XAAAA14
What to expect next?
Upon collecting course-level data from all LEAs in the District and training LEAs on mapping courses to the State Course Catalog, OSSE is able to create a 12-digit OSSE Course Identifier for each course offered in the District. Those standardized course codes across the District create comparable and reliable variables as OSSE document, analyze and make informed policy decisions regarding high-quality coursework access and targeted professional development support to LEAs. LEAs can also take advantage of these standard course codes to maintain longitudinal data about students’ coursework, and efficiently exchange course-taking records.
Learn More
This data blog will introduce important factors you need to know about DC’s first statewide course data collection in 2023-24 school year.
For more information about the SCED framework and the OSSE State Course Catalog, please visit National Forum on Education Statistics - School Courses for the Exchange of Data (SCED) and the OSSE State Course Catalog V2.