Forum Guide to 

Reporting Civil 

Rights Data

Forum Guide to 

REPORTING CIVIL RIGHTS DATA

ii Forum Guide to Reporting Civil Rights Data

National Cooperative Education Statistics System

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) established the National Cooperative Education Statistics System 

(Cooperative System) to assist in producing and maintaining comparable and uniform information and data on early 

childhood, elementary, and secondary education. These data are intended to be useful for policymaking at the federal, 

state, and local levels.

The National Forum on Education Statistics (Forum) is an entity of the Cooperative System and, among its other 

activities, proposes principles of good practice to assist state and local education agencies in meeting this purpose. The 

Cooperative System and the Forum are supported in these endeavors by resources from NCES.

Publications of the Forum do not undergo the same formal review required for products of NCES. The information 

and opinions published here are those of the Forum and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of NCES, the 

Institute of Education Sciences (IES), or the U.S. Department of Education.

January 2018

This publication and other publications of the National Forum on Education Statistics may be found at the websites 

listed below.

The NCES Home Page address is http://nces.ed.gov

The NCES Publications and Products address is http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch

The Forum Home Page address is http://nces.ed.gov/forum

This publication was prepared in part under Contract No. ED-IES-16-Q-0009 with Quality Information Partners, Inc. 

Mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Suggested Citation

National Forum on Education Statistics. (2018). Forum Guide to Reporting Civil Rights Data, (NFES 2017-168). U.S. 

Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

Technical Contact

Ghedam Bairu

(202) 245–6644

ghedam.bairu@ed.gov
iii

Working Group Members

This online publication was developed through the National Cooperative Education Statistics System and funded by the 

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)—a part of the U.S. 

Department of Education (ED). The Civil Rights Data Working Group of the National Forum on Education Statistics is 

responsible for the content.

Chair

Steve Smith, Cambridge Public Schools (MA)

Members

Sheri Ballman, Mason City School District (OH)

Janis Brown, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education

Dan Brungardt, Bonner Springs/Edwardsville Unified School District (KS)

Dede Conner, Kentucky Department of Education

Sonya Edwards, California Department of Education

Josh Klein, Oregon Department of Education

Kristi Martin, Macomb Intermediate School District (MI) 

Stephanie Miller, National Center for Education Statistics

Linda Rocks, Bossier Parish Schools (LA)

Levette Williams, Georgia Department of Education

Consultant

Deborah Newby, Quality Information Partners

Project Officer

Ghedam Bairu, National Center for Education Statistics

Acknowledgements

Members of the Civil Rights Data Working Group would like to thank everyone who reviewed or otherwise contributed 

to the development of the Forum Guide to Reporting Civil Rights Data.
iv Forum Guide to Reporting Civil Rights Data

Foreword

National Forum on Education Statistics

The work of the National Forum on Education Statistics (Forum) is a key aspect of the National Cooperative Education 

Statistics System (Cooperative System). The Cooperative System was established to produce and maintain, with the 

cooperation of the states, comparable and uniform education information and data that are useful for policymaking at the 

federal, state, and local levels. To assist in meeting this goal, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within 

the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)—a part of the U.S. Department of Education (ED)—established the Forum 

to improve the collection, reporting, and use of elementary and secondary education statistics. The Forum deals with 

issues in education data policy, sponsors innovations in data collection and reporting, and provides technical assistance to 

improve state and local data systems. 

Development of Forum Products

Members of the Forum establish working groups to develop guides in data-related areas of interest to federal, state, and 

local education agencies. They are assisted in this work by NCES, but the content comes from the collective experience 

of working group members who review all products iteratively throughout the development process. After the working 

group completes the content and reviews a document a final time, publications are subject to examination by members 

of the Forum standing committee that sponsors the project. Finally, Forum members (approximately 120 people) review 

and formally vote to approve all documents prior to publication. NCES provides final review and approval prior to 

online publication. The information and opinions published in Forum products do not necessarily represent the policies 

or views of ED, IES, or NCES. 

Document Purpose

The purpose of this guide is to illustrate a variety of effective methods through which local education agencies (LEAs) 

report civil rights data to ED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Once every two years, all public LEAs and some stateoperated educational facilities are required to participate in the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). This collection 

provides OCR with critical data needed to support OCR’s mission to ensure equal access to education and to promote 

educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in our nation’s public schools. These data are also 

widely used by other ED offices and federal agencies, researchers, and policymakers who seek data on student education 

opportunity and equity. In recent years, several state education agencies (SEAs) have begun to assist their LEAs with 

reporting data for the CRDC. This guide provides examples of how SEAs can voluntarily help their LEAs with 

CRDC reporting. 

Intended Audience

This guide was produced as a resource for LEAs and SEAs to use to develop strategies to effectively submit data for the 

CRDC. LEAs are ultimately responsible for reporting for the CRDC, so all LEAs may find this guide useful. SEAs that 

currently assist their LEAs with the CRDC, or those that may be considering assisting their LEAs, may also find this 

publication helpful. The guide is intended to help all education agencies improve their reporting of civil rights data to 

OCR in order to ensure timely and accurate data.
v

About This Guide

The guide is presented in the following chapters and appendices:

Chapter 1: The Civil Rights Data Collection presents an overview of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a 

biennial survey administered by OCR. 

Chapter 2: Challenges and Opportunities in Reporting Civil Rights Data explores common challenges in 

reporting civil rights data. It also examines various models of voluntary support offered by some SEAs.

Chapter 3: Reporting Civil Rights Data explains the CRDC submission process and presents six case studies that 

examine how specific education agencies report civil rights data. 

Appendix A: Process Diagrams presents diagrams that depict the reporting process for (1) LEAs that receive no 

assistance from the SEA or the student information system (SIS) vendor, (2) LEAs that receive assistance from a vendor 

for CRDC reporting, (3) LEAs that receive data files from the SEA that can be used for CRDC submissions, and (4) 

LEAs for which the SEA prepopulates data in the CRDC Online Submission System. 

Appendix B: Resources lists the resources used in developing the document as well as the resources found at the 

online CRDC Resource Center.
vi Forum Guide to Reporting Civil Rights Data

Contents

National Cooperative Education Statistics System ii

Working Group Members iii

Foreword iv

National Forum on Education Statistics iv

Development of Forum Products iv

Document Purpose iv

Intended Audience iv

About This Guide v

Chapter 1: The Civil Rights Data Collection 1

History of the CRDC 1

What Is Included in the CRDC? 2

How Are the Data Used? 3

Chapter 2: Challenges and Opportunities in Reporting Civil Rights Data 5

Time Required for CRDC Reporting 5

Staff Expertise 6

Changes to LEA Data Systems 6

Ability to Automate the Data Extracts 6

Changes in the CRDC Collection 7

Vendor Support 7

Maintaining Data Quality 8

Common Data Definitions 8

The Emerging Role of SEAs in the CRDC 8

Chapter 3: Reporting Civil Rights Data 10

The CRDC Reporting Process 10

Verifying the Schools 10

Preparing the Data for Submission 10

Submitting the Data 11

Responding to Edit Checks 11

Certifying the Submission 11

Case Studies 13

Case Study #1. Bossier Parish Schools (Louisiana) 14

Case Study #2. Bonner Springs/Edwardsville Unified School District 204 (Kansas) 17

Case Study #3. Columbine Elementary (California) 19

Case Study #4. Loudoun County Public Schools (Virginia) 20

Case Study #5. Paulding County (Georgia) 22

Case Study #6. Clark County (Kentucky) 25
vii

Appendix A: Process Diagrams 27

LEA with No Support 27

LEA with Vendor Support 28

LEA with State Extract Support 29

LEA with State Prepopulation Support 30

Appendix B: Resources 31

The Civil Rights Data Collection Resource Center 33

Additional Resource 35
Chapter 1: The Civil Rights Data Collection 1

Chapter 1: The Civil Rights Data Collection

Once every two years, all public local education agencies (LEAs) in the United States and the District of Columbia are 

required to participate in the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). This collection provides the U.S. Department of 

Education’s (ED’s) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) with critical data needed to support OCR’s mission to ensure equal 

access to education and to promote educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in our nation’s 

public schools. These data are also widely used by other ED offices and federal agencies, researchers, and policymakers 

who seek data on student opportunity and equity; thus, the accuracy and timeliness of the data are critical. 

The National Forum on Education Statistics organized a working group to develop this guide to provide information 

on the purpose of the CRDC and the many important ways in which the data are used, as well as to highlight effective 

methods that LEAs use to report accurate and timely civil rights data. This work supplements the numerous technical 

assistance materials provided by OCR to assist LEAs with their data reporting. 

History of the CRDC

In 1968, three years after the initial passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the federal 

government mandated the collection of data related to key civil rights indicators to help ensure that federal funds and 

program support authorized under the ESEA are equitably distributed and implemented in public schools. Formerly 

administered as the Elementary and Secondary School Survey, the collection is now known as the Civil Rights Data 

Collection (OCR 2016a). 

OCR is responsible for administering the collection every other year. Initially, the CRDC was conducted as a sample 

survey of approximately 6,000 LEAs. More recently, OCR requested data from all LEAs for the 2011-12, 2013-14, 

and 2015-16 collections. As with every federal data collection, each CRDC must be approved by the U.S. Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB). The approval process includes opportunities for the public to comment on the 

proposed collection. 

The CRDC gathers information about education programs in preschool through grade 12 from approximately 17,000 

public school districts. Data are collected on all public schools, including long-term secure juvenile justice facilities, 

charter schools, alternative schools, schools serving only students with disabilities, and some state-operated facilities. 

OCR collects data that are needed to support its efforts to administer and enforce the nation’s civil rights laws that 

prohibit discrimination in programs or activities within public schools that receive federal financial assistance from ED. 
2 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

The collection has grown through the years, as OCR’s responsibilities have expanded to include enforcement of new 

civil rights laws.1

What Is Included in the CRDC?

The CRDC collects key information on civil rights indicators, 

including student enrollment and educational programs and 

services, most of which is disaggregated by race and ethnicity, 

sex, limited English proficiency, and disability status. The 

CRDC includes data about 

• enrollment demographics;

• preschool;

• math and science courses;

• Advanced Placement;

• SAT and ACT;

• school discipline;

• school expenditures;

• teacher experience;

• chronic student absenteeism;

• educational access in justice facilities;

• civil rights coordinators;

• sworn law enforcement/school resource 

officers; and

• access to distance education courses, credit 

recovery, and dual enrollment/dual credit 

programs.

OCR looks for opportunities to eliminate items from the 

CRDC when those data may be available from other ED 

sources. For example, to reduce the burden on LEAs, beginning 

with the 2009-10 CRDC, LEAs are no longer required to 

report disaggregated school data on the number of students 

served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 

(IDEA) by disability category or educational environment. 

Instead, the CRDC uses the data that LEAs submit to the 

applicable state education agency (SEA) for required reporting under the IDEA. Likewise, high school completer data are 

no longer collected by the CRDC because ED already collects those data from SEAs through the EDFacts collection (CRDC 

The 2015-16 Civil Rights Data Collection

The 2015-16 CRDC survey included two levels of 

data, LEA and School, each with two parts. The 

sections in each of the survey parts are listed below. 

LEA

Part 1 – LEA Level

Section I: Students and Characteristics

Section II: Early Learning, Preschool, 

and Kindergarten

Part 2 – LEA Level

Section I: Distance Education

Section II: High School Equivalency Exam

Preparation Programs

School

Part 1 – School Level

Section I: School Characteristics

Section II: Student Enrollment

Section III: Classes, Course Enrollment, and

Program Enrollment

Section IV: School Staff

Part 2 – School Level

Section I: Algebra I Passing

Section II: Credit Recovery

Section III: SAT Reasoning Test, ACT, and Advanced

Placement Exams

Section IV: Chronic Student Absenteeism

Section V: Student Retention

Section VI: Single-Sex Interscholastic Athletics

Section VII: Student Discipline

Section VIII: Offenses

Section IX: Harassment or Bullying

Section X: Restraint and Seclusion

Section XI: Teacher Absenteeism

Section XII: School Expenditures

Section XIII: Items for Justice Facilities Only

1

 Discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin is prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; sex discrimination is prohibited 

by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; discrimination on the basis of disability is prohibited by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; 

and age discrimination is prohibited by the Age Discrimination Act of 1975. OCR also has responsibilities under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities 

Act of 1990 (prohibiting disability discrimination by public entities, whether or not they receive federal financial assistance). In addition, OCR enforces 

the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act (Section 9525 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left 

Behind Act of 2001). For more information on the relevant civil rights laws, see https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/aboutocr.html.
Chapter 1: The Civil Rights Data Collection 3

2016a).2 Each CRDC must go through the OMB approval process prior to the start of a collection. As part of this process, 

the public—including all data reporters—may submit comments to OMB regarding the content and reporting burden of 

the collection. Comments may include suggestions for alternate sources for the required data.

How Are the Data Used?

The data reported to OCR through the CRDC are used to support OCR’s efforts to administer and enforce the nation’s 

civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities within public schools that receive federal financial 

assistance from ED. In the eight years spanning 2009 and 2016, OCR received an average of 9,500 complaints each 

year, and OCR’s ten regional offices monitored, on average, 2,000 resolved cases a year to ensure compliance with 

resolution agreements. The CRDC provides OCR with the data needed for initial fact-finding when investigating civil 

rights complaints. The data are also used in compliance reviews to check for potential violations. OCR provides technical 

assistance to agencies that may be at risk of receiving civil rights complaints. 

OCR also uses the data to identify nationwide trends in civil rights compliance and detect emerging issues of concern. 

After the data are reviewed and analyzed, they are provided to the public in three main formats: published reports, the 

reporting website, and a data file. In addition, press releases provide quick summaries of trends detected in the data 

reported through the CRDC. See figure 1.

Figure 1. Excerpt from a 2014 press release, available at http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/persistent-disparitiesfound-through-comprehensive-civil-rights-survey-underscore-need-continued-focus-equity-king-says

• Nationwide, 2.8 million K-12 students received one or more out-of-school suspensions—which is a nearly 20 

percent decrease from the number of out-of-school suspensions reported two years ago.

• Black preschool children are 3.6 times as likely to be suspended as are white preschool students. In kindergarten 

through the 12th grade, black students are nearly four times as likely to be suspended as are white students. Black 

students also are nearly twice as likely to be expelled—removed from school with no services—as are white students.

• Students with disabilities are more than twice as likely as students without disabilities to be suspended in K-12 

settings. They also represent two-thirds of students who are secluded from their classmates or restrained to 

prevent them from moving—even though they are only 12 percent of the overall student population.

• More than half of high schools do not offer calculus, four in ten do not offer physics, more than one in four do not 

offer chemistry, and more than one in five do not offer Algebra II, which is considered a gateway class for success 

in college. By many measures, some student groups are more likely than others to miss out on these opportunities:

▫ Only a third of high schools with high black and Latino enrollments offer calculus, compared to 56 percent of 

those that serve low numbers of black and Latino students.

▫ Less than half the high schools with high black and Latino enrollments offer physics, while two in three high 

schools that have low numbers of black and Latino student offer physics.

▫ English learners have disproportionately low participation rates in Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) 

programs: while English learners are 11 percent of all students in schools offering GATE programs, fewer than 

3 percent of GATE students nationwide are English learners.

▫ Black and Latino students also participate at lower rates in Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) programs. 

Although black and Latino students make up 42 percent of students enrolled in schools that offer GATE 

programs, they are only 28 percent of the students who participate in those programs.

▫ Girls are underrepresented in some advanced coursework such as physics, but not in others such as calculus.

• 10 percent of the teachers in schools with high numbers of black and Latino students are in their first year of 

teaching, compared to only 5 percent in schools with low numbers of black and Latino students.

2

 EDFacts is an ED initiative to centralize the collection and availability of performance data provided by SEAs. For more information, see 

https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/edfacts/index.html.
4 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

OCR publishes various reports that focus on key 

education issues. These include downloadable “data 

snapshots” and online, interactive “data stories.” For 

example, in 2014 ED released a data snapshot report 

on early childhood education based on 2011-12 

CRDC data reported by LEAs through the CRDC. 

The report presented the data on suspension rates 

for preschool children, showing that Black children 

and boys were disproportionately suspended from 

preschool programs (ED 2014).3

 Likewise, in 

2016 ED released an online interactive data story 

titled Chronic Absenteeism in the Nation’s Schools: An 

unprecedented look at a hidden educational crisis. This report, based on 2013-14 CRDC data, revealed that one in seven 

public school students were chronically absent, meaning they missed 15 days or more of school (ED 2016a).4

 These 

reports attracted significant attention from the media and national advocacy groups.

In addition to publishing reports, OCR also makes the data available to the public through an online reporting tool found 

at http://ocrdata.ed.gov/. Users may search for data on a specific school or district, analyze the data using the available 

online data analysis tools, and create data reports. The website allows users to view and summarize the submitted data 

in several ways, as well as export data tables for analysis. Some organizations may use the data to produce reports that 

ultimately help shape education policy and practices. SEAs and LEAs may find some features of OCR’s online reporting 

tool useful, such as the ability to compare specific indicators across entities or view SEA and national estimations for key 

data elements, such as college and career readiness indicators.

Some of the data that LEAs report in the CRDC must now also be published in SEA, LEA, and school report cards (ED 

2017). The reauthorized ESEA, also known as the Every Student Succeeds Act, requires SEAs and LEAs to include in the 

report cards specific information on measures of school quality, climate, and safety, including information for all students 

and student subgroups for the following data elements:

• In-school suspensions

• Out-of-school suspensions

• Expulsions

• School-related arrests

• Referrals to law enforcement

• Chronic absenteeism, including both excused and unexcused absences

• Incidents of violence, including bullying and harassment

Accessing Civil Rights Data Online

OCR provides public access to civil rights data reported 

through the CRDC at http://ocrdata.ed.gov/. The website 

allows users to access reports on specific schools and 

districts, or drill down into detailed disaggregated data. A 

number of preformatted reports on the topics of English 

language learners, discipline, and educational equity can be 

generated for schools and school districts. In addition, the 

website provides reports on state and national estimations 

(or projections). Users can compare state estimations with 

those of other states or the nation as a whole. A user guide is 

available on the website. 

3 Data Snapshot: Early Childhood Education. Issue Brief Number 2, March 2014. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/crdc-early-learningsnapshot.pdf 4

 Chronic Absenteeism in the Nation’s Schools: An unprecedented look at a hidden educational crisis. Initially released in June 7, 2016. Updated on October 27, 

2016. https://www2.ed.gov/datastory/chronicabsenteeism.html
Chapter 2: Challenges and Opportunities in Reporting Civil Rights Data 5

Chapter 2: Challenges and Opportunities in Reporting Civil Rights 

Data

For many LEAs, the CRDC presents a number of reporting challenges: 

• One challenge lies in the size and scope of the collection. The CRDC is one of the U.S. Department of Education’s 

largest data collections. Approximately 100 data cells need to be filled at the LEA level, and about 1,650 data 

cells need to be filled at the school level. The actual number of cells that need to be filled at the school level 

may vary, however, as some data elements may not apply to all schools. For example, data concerning high 

school courses do not need to be reported for elementary schools. 

• In addition to its size, the variety of data collected in the CRDC may also present a challenge for some LEAs, as 

data may need to be pulled from multiple data sources. 

• Some LEAs may find that their reporting dates for snapshot enrollment data are different from the reporting dates 

for the CRDC. For example, many LEAs in Texas use the last Friday in October as the reporting deadline, 

rather than the CRDC October 1 date. 

• The nuances in the definitions of some CRDC data elements adds another layer of complexity. The definition for 

a CRDC data element may vary slightly from the definition of a similar data element collected by the LEA, 

resulting in the need for a thorough analysis to accurately identify the appropriate LEA source for the CRDC 

data. For example, out-of-school suspensions reported for the CRDC may include suspensions in which the 

student is receiving educational services in an alternate setting. Some LEAs may not include students receiving 

educational services at an alternate site in their out-of-school suspension counts. 

These challenges can result in a significant amount of staff time needed for CRDC reporting. This chapter details specific 

factors that can impact the amount of time required to report data for the CRDC, and highlights special considerations 

for maintaining data quality. In addition, this chapter examines the emerging role of the state education agency (SEA) in 

voluntarily supporting LEAs with CRDC reporting.

Time Required for CRDC Reporting

The basic process for CRDC reporting includes the following steps:

1. Map the required CRDC data elements to the locations where the corresponding data are stored in the LEA’s 

data systems and create collection mechanisms for new data elements, if needed.

2. Pull (extract) the necessary data from the data systems.

3. Aggregate data as needed (for example, an LEA may aggregate student-level data for school-level reporting).

4. Combine the data in the proper sequence.

5. Format the file (if submitting a flat file).
6 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

6. Submit the data using the CRDC Online Submission System, by either loading flat files into the system or 

manually entering data into the online survey forms.

7. Review the data submission and correct any errors.

8. Certify the submission.

The time required to complete the reporting process varies across agencies. Although the size of a district may impact 

the amount of time needed to report the data, it is not necessarily the most significant consideration in predicting how 

much staff time an agency will need to devote to CRDC reporting. One key factor is the extent to which the SEA 

voluntarily prepopulates data in the CRDC Online Submission System. As discussed later in this chapter, some SEAs have 

sufficient staff capacity to prepopulate as much as 40 to 99 percent of the data needed for the CRDC for their LEAs. The 

majority of LEAs do not receive SEA assistance, however. The various factors other than SEA support that can impact an 

LEA’s time requirement for CRDC reporting are outlined below. 

Staff Expertise 

Ideally, the LEA staff person responsible for CRDC reporting will have prior experience with the collection and in-depth 

knowledge of the LEA’s data systems. It is important for staff to understand the intent of the collection and how the 

data elements are defined. This will help ensure that the proper data are reported, as definitions may vary among similar 

data elements. For example, data elements related to discipline will differ according to whether the count needed is for 

unduplicated discipline incidents or for the number of students disciplined. The less knowledge and experience the staff 

person has with the CRDC, the longer it will take him or her to report accurate data. 

LEAs that have data governing boards may find it helpful to engage their governing board members at the beginning of 

each CRDC reporting cycle. Each governing board member will have expertise on data related to a particular program 

area. These individuals will likely be useful in translating the data definitions of the CRDC to the LEA’s data definitions 

and identify the proper data sources. 

Changes to LEA Data Systems 

Most education agencies maintain education data in a variety of data systems that are used to manage the daily operations 

of the agency. Typically, LEAs maintain student enrollment, grades, and schedules in a student information system (SIS). 

Some LEAs have separate systems for collecting and maintaining data on student discipline and special education services. 

School, staff, and finance data are each usually maintained in discrete data systems. Any changes made to the LEA’s source 

data systems since the last time the CRDC was completed will result in additional time required to remap the CRDC 

data elements to the new LEA source data systems and rewrite procedures for pulling and assembling the data. 

Ability to Automate the Data Extracts 

The extent to which an LEA has automated extraction routines to pull data from the LEA systems for the CRDC will 

greatly impact the amount of time required to complete the reporting. If there is no option for an automatic extraction 

of the data, the data will need to be either manually entered into a flat file that has been formatted to the CRDC flat file 

specifications, or manually entered into the survey forms in the CRDC Online Submission System. 
Chapter 2: Challenges and Opportunities in Reporting Civil Rights Data 7

Changes in the CRDC Collection 

Changes to the data elements needed for the CRDC will affect the amount of time needed for LEAs to report the data 

to OCR. When new data elements are added, LEAs will first need to determine whether the data are currently collected 

from their schools. If the data are already collected from the schools, then LEA staff will need to update existing 

extraction routines to include the new data elements in the data files to be submitted for the CRDC. If the data are not 

already collected, the LEA will need to update the collection process from its schools to include the new data elements. 

The LEA will also need to enable the appropriate data systems to store the new data. LEAs may need as much as two 

years of lead time to incorporate new data elements into their data collections from schools. 

Although OCR strives to provide as much lead time as possible for LEAs to adapt to changing requirements, critical 

policy needs may require that changes be made quickly. OCR attempts to mitigate the impact of new data elements 

on LEAs by usually making the reporting of new elements optional in the first year they are collected, and providing 

technical assistance for reporting new data elements. It should be noted that the U.S. Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) requires all agencies to publicly announce all proposed data collections well in advance of the collection. SEAs 

and LEAs have the opportunity to comment on the availability of the proposed data elements at that time.

Vendor Support

Some LEAs receive assistance with CRDC reporting from the vendors who support the LEAs’ data systems. Depending 

on the contractual agreements, some vendors can develop the extraction routines and prepare the data for submission 

to the CRDC Online Submission System. OCR is not able to work directly with vendors because reporting is the 

responsibility of LEAs, and only designated SEA and LEA personnel may officially submit data to OCR. However, 

vendors can access and use all of the templates and technical assistance documents available at the CRDC Resource 

Center (http://crdc.grads360.org). A vendor’s interpretation of the collection definitions and requirements will greatly 

impact the quality of the LEA’s CRDC submission. Vendors need in-depth knowledge of the CRDC in order to write 

proper extraction routines. Ultimately, LEAs are responsible for their CRDC submissions, and they will want to ensure 

that the vendor understands the data requirements.

Another consideration when working with vendors is how to manage errors that are found in vendor-created file 

templates that LEAs may use to produce their flat files. Once the submission window opens for the LEA, weekly 

conference calls with the vendor may be helpful to address the warnings and errors that are triggered in the CRDC 

Online Submission System when a file is submitted. Vendors will need to review the programming used in creating the 

template in order to troubleshoot any problems, and then fix the file template so that LEA staff can generate a corrected 

flat file. LEA staff can write queries or run SIS reports to compare the data retrieved using the updated file template 

against the data retrieved using the original template. 
8 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

Maintaining Data Quality

At least two of the factors that impact the amount of time required for LEAs to complete the CRDC also impact the 

accuracy of the data that are reported for the CRDC. Using experienced staff to respond to the CRDC will help ensure 

that the data elements are properly mapped to the data in the LEA’s source data systems, thereby improving data 

accuracy. Also, changes to the CRDC collection will impact data quality. LEAs may find it difficult to ensure good data 

quality for new data elements added to the CRDC. It may take up to two years before LEAs are able to report accurate 

data for a new data element. OCR typically presents new data elements as optional during the first reporting cycle to 

allow LEAs time to develop sound data collection methods. 

Another factor that may influence data quality is how widely the data are used. LEAs have methods for ensuring the 

quality of all data they collect from their schools, and all LEAs certify that the data reported for the CRDC are of good 

quality. However, it is possible that data elements that are used by the LEA for multiple purposes may be of somewhat 

better quality than those used solely for CRDC reporting. This is true because each time data are used they are subjected 

to review and analysis by the data user. 

Common Data Definitions

Many LEAs and SEAs have long advocated for the use of common data definitions by data collectors, including OCR and 

other offices within ED. LEAs and SEAs are likely to report better quality data when data collectors use standard data 

definitions, such as those used by EDFacts or the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS).5

The Emerging Role of SEAs in the CRDC

During the 2013-14 CRDC, OCR offered a pilot program for SEAs to voluntarily support their LEAs in CRDC 

reporting, primarily through prepopulation of the data. This effort came out of the recognition that over the past decade 

SEAs had increasingly been collecting and storing at least some of the data required by the CRDC in their statewide data 

systems. Some SEAs were seeking ways to fully leverage their data systems to help reduce the reporting burden of their 

LEAs. Eight states volunteered for the pilot for the 2013-14 collection. Building on the success of the 2013-14 pilot, 

OCR again offered SEAs the ability to prepopulate data in the CRDC for the 2015-16 CRDC. Eleven SEAs formally 

volunteered to assist their LEAs with that collection. These SEAs were generally able to provide anywhere from 40 to 99 

percent of the data needed for the CRDC. 

Prepopulation is not the only way that SEAs can support their LEAs with CRDC reporting. The general types of support 

that SEAs have provided include: 

• communications and outreach, through which SEAs provide informational support to their LEAs; 

• technical assistance for developing crosswalks between the CRDC and LEA data systems; 

• providing LEAs with extracts of data from the state data system, which the LEAs can then format as needed 

and submit for the CRDC; and 

• prepopulation of data on behalf of LEAs.

5

 CEDS is an education data standards initiative whose purpose is to streamline the understanding of data within and across P-20W institutions and 

sectors. The CEDS initiative offers standard definitions for education data elements. For more information, see https://ceds.ed.gov.
Chapter 2: Challenges and Opportunities in Reporting Civil Rights Data 9

See figure 2 for a list of specific actions that SEAs may voluntarily choose to take to assist their LEAs with CRDC reporting.

OCR does not provide financial compensation to states participating in CRDC reporting, nor does OCR expect all 

states to participate. For states that wish to participate, OCR provides technical assistance as well as a forum in which it 

regularly communicates with SEAs. SEA prepopulation of data can greatly reduce the reporting burden for its LEAs, and 

OCR has found that all LEAs that received any type of support from their SEAs were able to complete and certify the 

CRDC on time.

Figure 2. Examples of how SEAs can voluntarily support their LEAs. Taken in part from a resource, on the Civil Rights Data 

Collection’s Grads360 website, titled Ways States Can Support their LEAS with the CRDC, available at 

https://crdc.grads360.org/services/PDCService.svc/GetPDCDocumentFile?fileId=18811

Communications

• Pass on information from the OCR to LEAs about the CRDC—including due dates, which data are collected, and 

where to find help. 

• Send regular email updates highlighting resources available to LEAs or addressing topics of interest. 

• Assist CRDC support staff in resolving errors in the LEA and school universe. 

• Give CRDC support staff up-to-date contact information for each LEA. 

• Provide information about the CRDC—including data definitions and file layouts—to SIS vendors in the state. 

• Host a webinar or series of webinars about the CRDC submission process.

Planning Support 

• Provide a crosswalk between state data collections and CRDC items to assist LEAs in knowing where to pull data. 

• Provide a crosswalk of SEA course codes to CRDC subject areas. 

Data Support

• Prepopulate data where possible, based on data collected by the state, on behalf of the LEAs. 

• Prepare data reports or data files for LEAs to use in their CRDC submissions. 

Reasons to Engage

• Help to reduce the data burden on LEAs and schools. 

• Help to improve the timeliness and quality of data submitted to the CRDC.
10 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

Chapter 3: Reporting Civil Rights Data

This chapter provides an overview of how local education agencies (LEAs) report data for the Civil Rights Data 

Collection (CRDC), and how some state education agencies (SEAs) voluntarily assist their LEAs with CRDC reporting. 

The six case studies included in this chapter offer a closer look at how some LEAs manage their CRDC reporting, either 

with or without SEA support. In addition, Appendix A presents four process diagrams that show the reporting process 

for (1) LEAs that report CRDC data with no assistance from vendors or the SEA; (2) LEAs that report CRDC data with 

vendor assistance; (3) LEAs that report CRDC data using data files provided by the SEA; and (4) LEAs for whom the 

SEA prepopulates a portion of the CRDC data in the CRDC Online Submission System. 

The CRDC Reporting Process

The CRDC reporting process includes many steps, such as identifying the schools for which data must be reported, 

mapping the required data elements to the LEA’s appropriate source data system, preparing files for uploading into the 

CRDC Online Submission System or organizing data for manual entry into the online survey forms, submitting the data, 

responding to error messages received during the submission process, and reviewing and certifying the data. These steps 

are discussed below. 

Verifying the Schools 

In the year prior to the opening of a collection, LEAs are asked to verify the schools in their districts using the CRDC 

Advance Website support tool. The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED’s) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which 

administers the CRDC, develops the list of schools for each district based on the prior CRDC as well as schools reported 

in NCES’s Common Core of Data (CCD) collection. 

Preparing the Data for Submission

The first step in preparing to submit data for the CRDC is to review the data to be collected. Each CRDC collection may 

be slightly different, as elements may be added or deleted. OCR provides a change summary that clearly identifies what 

has changed from the prior collection. The definitions for any new data elements will need to be carefully reviewed. 

Next, LEAs must map the data elements needed for the CRDC to where the data are stored in the LEA’s data systems. 

In most LEAs, the bulk of the data will be entered using batch uploads. The flat files used in the batch uploads must 

meet the formatting specifications established for the CRDC. Many LEAs use some form of automation to extract the 

necessary data from their data systems and format the data for submission. These data extraction and formatting routines 

may be developed by LEA staff or by the LEA’s data system vendor. In some cases, LEAs may choose to enter some or 

all of the data manually into the online forms. In these instances, LEAs will need to prepare the data for submission by 

identifying the source for the required data elements, retrieving the data, and performing any calculations needed to 

obtain the required values for reporting.
Chapter 3: Reporting Civil Rights Data 11

If an SEA voluntarily prepopulates some of the data for the LEA, the LEA will need to know which data the SEA will 

provide and which data the LEA will need to submit. The SEA will prepopulate available data into the CRDC Online 

Submission System prior to when the LEA begins submitting data. If necessary, the LEA can correct data submitted by 

the SEA. The LEA is then responsible for entering all remaining data. 

Submitting the Data

LEAs report their civil rights data to OCR using the CRDC Online Submission System. Once the CRDC Online 

Submission System opens for LEA submissions, LEAs can begin uploading the data files into the system and manually 

entering any data that are not included in one of the flat files. OCR provides a variety of technical assistance resources 

for data submitters, including submission check sheets, sample flat files, and templates for flat files. A partner support 

center is also available to respond to specific questions from SEAs and LEAs and assist them with their data reporting. 

All LEAs have 75 calendar days to submit their data for the CRDC. 

Responding to Edit Checks

There are two points in the CRDC cycle when data checks occur. The first point is when the data are entered into the 

CRDC Online Submission System. The system conducts real-time checks of the data and produces warning and error 

messages for the data submitter. The system also generates automated error reports that pinpoint where errors are 

located. After every collection, OCR refines and improves system checks to help ensure data quality. 

The second point at which data checks occur is after the submission window is closed and submissions have been 

certified. OCR staff review all of the data reported by LEAs. Typically, reviewers will look for discrepancies between the 

recently submitted data and the data submitted in the previous CRDC as well as any data outliers. LEAs are given the 

opportunity to explain or correct any data anomalies. 

Certifying the Submission

After all of the data are loaded or entered into the system and error messages are addressed, LEAs certify in the system 

that the submission is complete and accurate. A data submission cannot be certified unless the data are complete and all 

system-detected errors have been corrected or properly explained. LEAs are responsible for certifying all of their data, 

including any data that may have been prepopulated by the SEA. 

Figure 3 (next page) presents an overview of the reporting timeline for LEAs for the 2015-16 CRDC. It also shows the 

reporting timeline for participating SEAs that voluntarily prepopulated data in the CRDC system for their LEAs.
12 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

Figure 3. 2015-16 CRDC Reporting Timeline
Chapter 3: Reporting Civil Rights Data 13

Case Studies

The case studies presented in this guide detail the actual experiences of LEAs in reporting the data required for the 

CRDC. The case studies are grouped according to CRDC Collection Year; case studies 1-2 are from the 2013-14 

Collection Year, and case studies 3-6 are from the 2015-16 Collection Year. The case studies comprise a range of models 

for how LEAs manage CRDC reporting. These include LEAs that have limited capacity to automate the preparation 

of their files for CRDC reporting and/or receive no assistance from their SEA or data system vendor, as well as LEAs 

for which the SEA submits most of the required data for the CRDC. Each case study includes the information outlined 

below.

• An overview of the LEA for which the case study is written, including the number of schools in the LEA, total 

student enrollment, and the percentage of students who are English language learners or students with an 

Individualized Education Program (IEP).

• The CRDC collection year for which the case study is written.

• An overview of the data sources the LEA used for CRDC reporting. 

• A description of the type of assistance received from the SEA or data system vendor.

• The approximate percentage of data reported to the CRDC by the LEA and SEA.

• A description of the LEA’s overall reporting burden, including the LEA staff involved in CRDC reporting 

along with a total, approximate number of staff hours needed for CRDC reporting. 

• A description of the LEA’s CRDC reporting process.

• For LEAs that received voluntary assistance from the SEA, an overview of the SEA, including the number of 

LEAs in the state and the total number of students enrolled, and a description of the SEA’s reporting process. 

• A description of the lessons learned for streamlining the reporting process and reporting accurate data.
14 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

Case Study #1. Bossier Parish Schools (Louisiana)

LEA Overview

Bossier Parish Schools has 33 schools in the district and a student enrollment of approximately 22,000. About 3 percent 

of the students are English language learners and about 12 percent are students with IEPs. 

CRDC Collection Year 

2013-14 CRDC

LEA Data Sources

The student data that Louisiana LEAs report to the SEA consist of unit records that have much of what the CRDC 

requires, such as student demographics; enrollment history; attendance totals; limited English proficiency (LEP) 

indicators; special education information, including students with disabilities served under Section 504 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973; discipline events with actions taken; snapshot class schedules; and high school transcript data. 

The data reported to the state comes from local SISs, so it is feasible to complete much of the CRDC by utilizing vendor 

extracts or LEA queries against the local database. Other possible approaches include querying the source data files used 

for state reporting, and/or utilizing any feedback data files provided by the SEA. Bossier Parish Schools chose to use the 

feedback data files provided by the SEA because these data files were more readily available and in a format more suitable 

for CRDC reporting purposes. 

In addition to building queries from state feedback reports to complete the student and staffing portions of the CRDC, 

the district also sought input from the local finance department, which computed the required financial elements using 

their department resources. Other information that was not in state feedback reports nor in any local database was 

obtained by surveying local program offices for either summary data (e.g., school athletics data) or paper reports (e.g., 

bullying investigation forms). This information was compiled into the proper format and manually entered into the Excel 

template provided by OCR for inclusion in the batch upload.

SEA or Vendor Assistance

No assistance was received from the SEA or from a vendor. 

Percentage of Data Reported, by Source

LEA: 100 percent

SEA: 0 percent

LEA Reporting Burden

One LEA staff person was responsible for compiling and reporting the data needed for the CRDC. The total number of 

hours spent on preparing the data for submission, submitting the data, correcting any errors, and certifying the report 

came to approximately 250. 

LEA Reporting Process 

The state-reported data used to help complete the CRDC were originally submitted by the LEA to the SEA in either 

separate collections, or in separate tables or records within a single collection. All collections had a unique state 

identifier and a local identifier as part of each student record. The LEA compiled all pertinent CRDC data into a set 

of tables within a PC software applications database. The database software had built-in functionality to create and run 
Chapter 3: Reporting Civil Rights Data 15

crosstab queries.6 A single crosstab query with inner joins (on student ID) between tables that had unit record data was 

created to produce the information needed in the proper format to complete a single CRDC table. 

The LEA created one or more separate crosstab queries for each specific CRDC table. It typically took three queries to 

complete each table: one to do the racial breakdown, another to do the English language learner counts, and another to 

do the counts of students with disabilities. To complete the 2013-14 CRDC, over 200 queries were created.

The LEA used the CRDC spreadsheet template to organize and upload the data. This approach allowed the LEA to gather 

the required data offline and use the copy/paste function to reduce the likelihood of data entry errors, and then use the 

functionality of the spreadsheet to create the flat file for upload. This minimized the time spent online when the CRDC 

Online Submission System could be slow, such as during peak times near deadlines.

Lessons Learned 

The district found that the biggest challenge in CRDC reporting was the time it took to write and run the hundreds 

of queries needed to complete the report. However, most of the queries could likely be reused against an updated data 

source for future reporting. In addition, the district found that using the OCR-provided template to prepare data files for 

submission was much easier than entering data manually for multiple schools. 

6

 A crosstab is a function that combines data from one or more sources into a concise format for analysis or reporting. Crosstabs typically display the joint 

distribution of two or more variables. For example, using the unique student identifier as the common variable, a crosstab might pull demographic data 

about the students, such as sex, from an enrollment database and combine it with course enrollment data to produce a report that shows the number of 

students enrolled in a particular course by sex.
16 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

Verifying the Completeness and Accuracy of CRDC Data

Recommendations from Bossier Parish Schools

Prior to an LEA’s certification of the CRDC submission, the data must be complete and error free. The CRDC School 

Submission Form within the CRDC Online Submission System can be used to verify completeness. Users can select 

a school they wish to check, and the form will show the “Percentage of Required Cells Filled” for each module in the 

survey. If the data are not required for a particular module, an “N/A” (not applicable) will show in the field. There is also 

a checkbox that LEAs can use to indicate when they have finished entering data. However, if the percentage of required 

cells filled is less than 100 percent, it would not make sense for the LEA to indicate that data entry is complete.

To check that the submission is error free, LEAs can use the Current Submission Status Form. This form shows the total 

completeness of the survey (all modules combined) for each school in the district as well as for the LEA-level data. It 

also shows the error and warning count for each school. The user can drill down to the error report for each school to 

see the summary of warnings and errors by category, and then drill down further to see the errors and warnings within 

each category. 

In cases of errors, the system requires resolution. The LEA should either correct incorrect values or explain the error 

condition by using the resolution reason codes (such as “Different Count Dates” or “High Mobility School”) and 

providing explanatory comments. It is good practice to provide as much information as possible in the comments field 

in order to adequately explain the situation. Otherwise, the LEA may be contacted by the CRDC Partner Support for 

additional clarification. 

In addition to resolving all errors, it is good practice to review warnings as well. Warnings often originate when values 

are not consistent over multiple questions. Investigating the warnings can help locate errors of omission. For example, 

if a school reports in the survey that they do not have preschool, but values for preschool enrollment are reported, a 

warning will show. Even values of zero can trigger the warnings if the survey is expecting no value (N/A). In order to 

clear this particular warning, either the preschool grade level indicator needs to be modified to “Yes” in the School 

Characteristics/Grades with Students Enrolled table and valid numbers (including zeros) entered in the various 

preschool count fields, or—if there are truly no preschool students—the grade level indicator should be “no” and the 

preschool count fields need to have no values (N/A); or an explanation for the discrepancy between data tables needs 

to be provided.
Chapter 3: Reporting Civil Rights Data 17

Case Study #2. Bonner Springs/Edwardsville Unified School District 204 (Kansas)

LEA Overview

Unified School District 204 in Bonner Springs/Edwardsville has seven schools in the district and a student enrollment of 

approximately 2,700. About 6 percent of the students are English language learners and about 13 percent are students 

with IEPs. 

CRDC Collection Year 

2013-14 CRDC

LEA Data Sources

Most of the data that were not prepopulated by the SEA for the instructional component of the CRDC were pulled 

from the district’s SIS. Part of the reason that the district chose its particular SIS is because the vendor provided specific 

reports to help reduce the time needed for data reporting. Specifically, the company advertised on its website that “The 

Civil Rights Data Collection report is coded directly into your [Company Name] solution.” Additional data needed for 

the CRDC came from the district’s school accounting system, which is used for payroll and purchasing.

SEA or Vendor Assistance

The SEA prepopulated approximately 20 percent of the CRDC data into the CRDC Online Submission System. The 

LEA’s SIS vendor provided the district with an extraction process that helped pull approximately 30 to 35 percent of the 

information needed for the CRDC from the LEA’s SIS. The vendor also provided assistance in completing the extraction 

process through multiple webinars and online resources. 

Percentage of Data Reported, by Source:

LEA: 80 percent

SEA: 20 percent

LEA Reporting Burden

The district’s director of elementary instruction was responsible for CRDC reporting and coordinated the LEA’s 

reporting process. Other individuals—including the payroll clerk, the district accountant, and the director of business—

gathered information related to school personnel (such as licensure and absenteeism) and district financial data. The total 

time that LEA staff spent on preparing the data for submission, submitting the data, correcting any errors, and certifying 

the report came to approximately 100 hours. Much of the burden was related to submission errors. For the 2013-14 

CRDC, many of the errors were caused by the need to add zeroes to the file, as blanks were not allowed if a valid count 

was required. Staff needed to manually go through each field and add zeroes where needed. 

LEA Reporting Process 

After the SEA prepopulated data into the CRDC and the CRDC Online Submission System opened for district data 

submission, the LEA reviewed and corrected the data prepopulated by the state and submitted the remaining data. 

Approximately 90 percent of the data reported by the LEA were submitted as batch loads of flat files. As noted above, 

the LEA used a vendor-provided template for extracting data from the SIS to create the necessary flat files. District staff 

aligned the specific fields that matched the data requested to the template. It was important to align the fields accurately, 

because if there was an error in a data field, it would not only cause that file to upload improperly, but also affect all data 

after that point. Other data needed for the CRDC that were not available from the SIS were manually pulled from the 

source data system and formatted for manual entry into the CRDC’s online survey forms. 
18 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

SEA Overview

The Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) has 286 LEAs and a total student enrollment of about 477,010.

SEA Reporting Process

The KSDE collects data from its districts through the Kansas Individual Data on Students (KIDS) reporting system. KIDS 

is the core data collection system that assigns the state student ID numbers. The goal of the KIDS system is to eliminate 

duplication of data reporting and support the management of longitudinal records for state and federal reporting and 

program monitoring. Some of the data collected in KIDS are needed for the CRDC. Beginning with the 2011-12 CRDC, 

the KSDE prepopulated the 28 questions below:

LEA-01: Count of students

LEA-02: Count of Schools

LEA-12: Preschool Program Provided by the LEA Indicator

LEA-14: Preschool Age for non-IDEA Children

LEA-15: Preschool Eligibility-All Children

LEA-16: Pre-school Eligibility-Student Groups

LEA 17: Kindergarten Program Indicator

SCH-01-1: Grades with Students Enrolled

SCH-02: Preschool Eligibility-All Children 

SCH-08: Preschool Enrollment

SCH-09: Enrollment of Limited English Proficient Students

SCH-11: Gifted/Talented Education Programs

SCH-12: Gifted/Talented Student Enrollment

SCH-13: Classes in Algebra 1

SCH-15: Classes in Geometry

SCH-18: Classes in Mathematics Courses in High School

SCH-20: Classes in Science Courses in High School

SCH-25: Different AP-Advanced Placement courses

SCH-50: Teachers-FTE Count and Certification

SCH-51: Teacher years of experience

SCH-52: School Counselors

SCH-01-02: Middle School Students who Passed Algebra 1

SCH-02: High School Students who Passed Algebra 1

SCH-07: Student participation in SAT Reasoning Test or ACT

SCH-09: Students who received a qualifying score on Advanced Placement AP Exams

SCH-15: Preschool suspensions and expulsions

SCH-32: Students Disciplined for Harassment or Bullying

SCH-39: Full-term Equivalency Count and Salary Amount for Teachers funded with State and Local Funds

Lessons Learned 

The size and timing of the CRDC contributed to the challenges for LEA reporting. During the spring, district staff are involved in 

many other activities, including state assessments, and staff must balance CRDC reporting with additional priorities. In addition, 

sufficient time needed to be allocated for uploading files to the CRDC Online Submission System. Staff had to be prepared for the 

possibility of limited access to the system if many other districts were attempting to upload files at the same time. 
Chapter 3: Reporting Civil Rights Data 19

Case Study #3. Columbine Elementary (California)

LEA Overview

Columbine Elementary is a single-school district in Tulare County, CA, with a student enrollment of approximately 200. 

About 10 percent of the students are English language learners and about 2 percent are students with IEPs. 

CRDC Collection Year 

2015-16 CRDC 

LEA Data Sources

Columbine Elementary does not have a student information system (SIS). Student data are stored in spreadsheets. 

Information is updated monthly as needed, and a spreadsheet is created for each month. Most of the CRDC data are 

included in the monthly spreadsheets for the collection year. Financial data are stored in a countywide system, and the 

district receives regular financial reports from the county. These reports are used as the data source for some of the 

CRDC data elements. 

SEA or Vendor Assistance

No assistance was received from the SEA or from a vendor. 

Percentage of Data Reported, by Source

LEA: 100 percent

SEA: 0 percent

LEA Reporting Burden

Two staff persons worked on CRDC reporting: the district superintendent and an administrative assistant. A total of 

approximately 40 staff hours were needed to prepare the data for submission, submit the data, correct any errors, and 

certify the report. 

LEA Reporting Process

The administrative assistant reviewed the data elements to be collected, identified the appropriate spreadsheets and 

reports to be used as data sources, and prepared the data to be entered. The superintendent manually entered all of the 

required data into the online forms in the CRDC Online Submission System and certified the submission. 

Lessons Learned

The district has found that given its size and the amount of data they are required to report, it is easier and faster to enter 

the data manually into the online forms than it is to create flat files for the data submissions. In addition, the district has 

found that new data elements significantly increase the amount of time needed for reporting, as the data elements must 

be accurately defined and located in the correct data source.
20 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

Case Study #4. Loudoun County Public Schools (Virginia)

LEA Overview

Loudoun County Public Schools has 91 schools and centers in the district and a student enrollment of approximately 

79,000. About 16 percent of these students are English language learners and about 12 percent are students with IEPs. 

CRDC Collection Year 

2015-16 CRDC 

LEA Data Sources

Most of the data for the 2015-16 CRDC came from the district’s SIS. The following offices provided data for the 

collection: Career and Technical Education, Virtual Learning, School Administration, Testing and Diagnostic Services, 

Head Start, Gifted, Financial Services, Human Resources and Talent Development, Athletics, Discipline, and Counseling. 

SEA or Vendor Assistance 

The Virginia Department of Education populated most of the enrollment portion of the survey. However, the data for 

LEP, IEP, and Section 504 students were not included in the prepopulation. The SEA also sent periodic emails notifying 

the LEA of key dates in the CRDC timeline. The LEA does not contract with a vendor specifically for support in 

completing the CRDC submission; rather, the SIS vendor provides an extract tool with data fields mapped.

Approximate Percentage of Data Reported, by Source

LEA: 90 percent

SEA: 10 percent

LEA Reporting Burden

For the 2015-16 CRDC, multiple offices were involved in data reporting. Altogether, approximately 234 staff hours 

by two staff working full time and six staff working part time were needed to review the data submitted by the state, 

prepare the remaining data for submission, submit the data, correct any errors, and certify the report. Multiple 

submission trials were required before the report was completed.

LEA Reporting Process

Listed below are the steps in the reporting process that the LEA followed for the 2015-16 CRDC.

• Identify all required schools to be reported and preregister in the CRDC Advance Website.

• Review the requirements and definitions for the new data collection for 2015-16.

• Contact CRDC support with questions throughout the process as needed.

• Send out notices to appropriate designees within the LEA (Human Resources, Budget, Information 

Management, Offenses, Discipline, Athletics, Gifted and Talented, Math, Science, etc.).

• Convene an information session with participating staff regarding the CRDC requirements, such as due dates, 

specific documentation for each designee, and other details.

• Gather and extract enrollment, schedules, programs, testing, discipline, and other data points for processing 

by the Research Office. 

• Collaborate with the SIS Information Management team to ensure the accurate use and interpretation of the 

data. Revise data extracts and processes as necessary from the SIS conversion and any new data collection 

items requested by the CRDC.
Chapter 3: Reporting Civil Rights Data 21

• Complete the quality assurance and quality control process.

• Prepare the CRDC flat file for upload.

• Format and upload the data received from designees.

• Run and correct error reports in conjunction with multiple uploads.

• Validate the reports with the schools and central office staff.

• Certify the CRDC report.

• Present the final results of the CRDC report to participants and key stakeholders.

• Archive the final report.

SEA Overview 

The Virginia Department of Education has 132 LEAs and a total student enrollment of about 1.28 million. 

SEA Reporting Process

The 2015-16 CRDC was the first collection for which the SEA was able to prepopulate CRDC data for its LEAs. The 

SEA had planned to create data files for CRDC submission if the data were previously collected from the LEAs as part of 

the annual state reporting requirements. For the 2015-16 CRDC, the SEA was able to prepopulate only portions of the 

enrollment data for its LEAs as a proof of concept before delving into a more comprehensive prepopulation effort for 

the next CRDC. 

As with all state collections, each data element is defined to ensure that the data collected are reliable. In terms of 

using existing state data for the CRDC, the SEA recognized that there could be mismatches or slight variations in 

data definitions. If the SEA blindly submitted existing data for similarly named data elements, the reliability of state 

prepopulation would diminish significantly, which would ultimately lead to more work for the LEAs to certify the 

CRDC. To avoid that, the SEA needed to complete an element to element study before sending data to CRDC on 

behalf of the LEAs. For the limited amount of data the SEA was able to prepopulate for the 2015-16 CRDC, it required 

approximately 16 hours by one staff person working full time to prepare and submit the data, plus an additional 22 

hours by SEA staff in program offices to review and validate the data prior to submission. Although the SEA began 

prepopulation efforts in mid-2016, it did not have sufficient available staff time to do more than a minimal prepopulation 

of enrollment data for the 2015-16 CRDC collection. Efforts continue, and the SEA is on target to prepopulate 50 

percent or more of the CRDC data for the next collection. 

Lessons Learned 

LEA: The difficulties in completing the 2015-16 CRDC revolved around new staff who were not familiar with the 

CRDC process. This was resolved through information sessions with staff before the 2015-16 CRDC submission window 

opened, as well as ongoing follow-up during the data collection process. 

SEA: The ability to prepopulate data in the CRDC is largely dependent on the availability of knowledgeable SEA staff 

both in Information Management and the program offices, as well as coordinated efforts of an LEA advisory group.
22 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

Case Study #5. Paulding County (Georgia)

LEA Overview

The Paulding County School District has 33 schools and a student enrollment of about 29,000. About 2 percent of the 

students are English language learners and about 1 percent are students with IEPs. 

CRDC Collection Year 

2015-16 CRDC

LEA Data Sources 

Paulding County uses a single source SIS. Data from this system are used for mandated state reporting, such as the Full 

Time Equivalency (FTE) and Student Record collections. These two data collections were used to compile some of the 

data required for the CRDC. The LEA also used data received from other agencies and organizations, such as The College 

Board. Survey sections relating to teacher absenteeism and teacher salaries were given to the LEA’s payroll department 

for completion, and sections relating to school expenditures were provided to the finance department for completion. 

SEA or Vendor Assistance 

The Georgia Department of Education assisted its LEAs with the CRDC by prepopulating pertinent data previously 

collected from the LEA. 

Percentage of Data Reported, by Source:

LEA: 30 percent

SEA: 70 percent

LEA Reporting Burden

After the SEA provided prepopulation support, the Paulding County School District needed approximately 275 

additional hours to create data queries to run the necessary reports and to manually enter the data into the online survey 

forms. If the SEA had not assisted, schools and the district would have spent considerable additional time completing 

the CRDC: assistance from the SEA saved approximately 3-4 hours per school in completing the CRDC. It also reduced 

the district-level reporting burden by approximately 1-2 hours per school. In addition, prepopulation of data by the SEA 

helped to reduce errors that could be caused by the manual entry process used by the district.

LEA Reporting Process

The first step in the reporting process was to review the data elements that had not been prepopulated by the SEA, and 

determine the source system for those elements. School staff were directly involved in entering data for the CRDC. The 

LEA sent a copy of the school sections of the survey to the schools so that school staff could see what was needed for the 

collection. The LEA created data queries that schools could run to pull the necessary data. A work session was held in a 

computer lab for each level of school (i.e., elementary, high school, etc.). During the work sessions, school staff entered 

data for their schools directly into the CRDC online survey forms. LEA staff were present at the work sessions to answer 

questions and help resolve errors.

SEA Overview 

The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) has 207 LEAs and a total student enrollment of about 1.76 million. 
Chapter 3: Reporting Civil Rights Data 23

SEA Reporting Process

The GaDOE began assisting its LEAs with the CRDC beginning with the 2011-12 collection. For that collection, the 

GaDOE provided reports to the LEAs containing the answers to about half of the questions in the survey. The LEAs 

could use these reports to manually enter the data into the survey. The LEAs then needed to identify the data sources for 

the remaining data elements and complete the remainder of the survey. 

For the 2013-14 CRDC, the GaDOE participated in a pilot wherein states prepopulated data for their districts into 

the CRDC Online Submission System. Through this process, the SEA was able to provide about 70 percent of the data 

required for the survey. The SEA notified districts of its plan to enter data on their behalf, and districts were asked to 

not enter any data into the survey tool until the SEA had finished uploading data. Once the SEA uploaded the files and 

corrected any errors, the districts were informed that the GaDOE file upload process was complete and they could 

change any or all of the data that the GaDOE had uploaded.

The data that the SEA uploaded into the CRDC Online Submission System for its LEAs came from data that were 

previously reported to the SEA by the LEAs. The types of data the SEA collects from its LEAs fall into the following 

categories:

• Student Attendance and Enrollment Data

• Student Class Schedules

• Student Demographic Data

• Student Discipline Data

• Student Program Participation

• Staff Certification and Assignment Data

• Staff Demographic Data

• Private School Enrollment Data

• Quality Basic Education (QBE) Funding Data

• Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) End of Pathway Data

The actual collection process occurs using a system created by GaDOE. Each LEA selects an SIS vendor of its own 

choice. There are 11 SIS vendors in Georgia, with two of those vendors representing 92 percent of the districts. GaDOE 

provides each vendor with a file specification for each collection cycle to create the data extract. LEAs extract and 

upload the data required for state reporting purposes by using the state system’s web portal, where validation rules are 

applied and reports are generated. All errors must be corrected before the LEA superintendent can certify the data as 

accurate and complete. Because the SEA is not responsible for reporting data for the CRDC, some data needed for the 

CRDC remain in each LEA’s SIS and are not uploaded through the web portal. These data cannot be prepopulated and 

must be provided by each LEA. 

Lessons Learned

LEA: Nuances in definitions of the data required for the CRDC presented challenges in finding and reporting the 

necessary data. For example, the CRDC defines “allegation” as a claim or assertion that someone has done something 

wrong or illegal, typically made without proof. However, the school district tracks bullying or harassment incidents only

if the claim is substantiated; it does not track allegations only. 
24 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

Reporting ACT and SAT scores for the CRDC also presented a challenge for the district. District staff had to review the 

data provided by The College Board in order to accurately report the data by sex, race/ethnicity, disability status, and 

limited English proficiency status. This took many staff hours. 

Another lesson learned is that the printed version of the data collection elements were numbered, but the website 

version was not numbered. This presented a challenge when keying data from the data report based on the printed 

version into the online survey forms. 

SEA: Initially, GaDOE found that the biggest challenge in assisting LEAs with CRDC reporting was finding enough 

resource time to write the queries to extract and format the necessary data to prepopulate the survey. Once the queries 

were written, prepopulation required less time in subsequent years. 
Chapter 3: Reporting Civil Rights Data 25

Case Study #6. Clark County (Kentucky)

LEA Overview

The Clark County Public Schools school district includes nine schools and has a student enrollment of about 5,300 

students. About 2 percent of the students are English language learners and about 13 percent are students with IEPs. 

CRDC Collection Year 

2015-16 CRDC

LEA Data Sources

Kentucky has a statewide SIS and a statewide financial system. The SEA and all of the LEAs in the state use the same 

SIS and the same financial system. This allows the SEA to extract data populated in the local SIS and financial system 

for required state reporting. Districts have the flexibility to customize their SIS and financial system at the local level 

to collect and store additional data beyond what is required for state reporting. Some of the additional data collected 

by Clark County were needed for the CRDC. The SEA was able to prepopulate 92 percent of the necessary data in the 

CRDC Online Submission System using the data it pulled from the local SIS and financial system. The LEA only needed 

to submit additional data that were not collected and used by the SEA for state reporting. This included data related to 

school and school support staff, school security staff, and discipline offenses.

SEA or Vendor Assistance 

The SEA assisted with approximately 92 percent of the required data reporting. All other data was prepared and 

submitted locally without additional vendor assistance. 

Percentage of Data Reported, by Source:

LEA: 8 percent

SEA: 92 percent

LEA Reporting Burden

The LEA’s reporting burden for the CRDC was greatly reduced by the SEA’s ability to prepopulate the majority of 

the required data. For the 2015-16 CRDC, one staff person spent approximately 15 hours total to prepare the data for 

submission, submit the data, correct any errors, and certify the report.

LEA Reporting Process

The SEA prepopulated 92 percent of the required data in the CRDC. Once the CRDC Online Submission System opened 

for LEAs to submit data, the LEA verified the data the state had reported during the SEA-defined validation window. 

When the state validation period was over, the LEA manually entered data into the remaining fields for which the SEA 

did not submit data. Once all data had been entered and verified, the LEA certified its report in the CRDC system.

SEA Overview 

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has 173 LEAs and a total student enrollment of about 655,500. 

SEA Reporting Process

KDE and all of its districts use the same SIS. This allows KDE to access data in the local SISs. Kentucky also has a 

statewide financial reporting system. These two data systems contain much of the data required for the CRDC. For the 
26 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

2011-12 CRDC collection, KDE was able to provide minimal support by creating a set of ad hoc queries that LEAs 

could use. The queries allowed LEAs to pull CRDC data elements for their schools from the local SIS in a way that was 

consistent across the state. For the 2013-14 CRDC, KDE extracted data from the state data system to prepopulate the 

CRDC for its LEAs. For that collection, the SEA was able to provide about 80 percent of school-related data and 50 

percent of LEA-related data. 

By refining its process for extracting the data, KDE was able to provide 95 percent of school-related data for the 2015-

16 CRDC and 54 percent of LEA-related data—in total, 92 percent of all data. Data already in the LEA’s SIS or part 

of the district financial report were used to report to the CRDC. No additional data were collected by the SEA for the 

purpose of CRDC reporting. Kentucky created ETL (Extract, Transfer, and Load) scripts to pull data from the SIS in the 

CRDC format. 

The steps in the KDE reporting process were as follows:

1. LEA and school data were collected and stored in the local SIS and financial reporting system.

2. These data were then available to the KDE, which extracted data from the system for uploading to the CRDC 

Online Submission System.

3. LEAs entered additional data and certified their CRDC reports.

KDE established a reporting timeline once OCR notified agencies of the collection window dates. KDE informed LEAs 

when the SEA completed its data upload and the KDE-established validation window was open. The validation window 

provided LEAs an opportunity to review the data, and it also reserved time for the state to reload data if necessary. If the 

SEA had to reload data, anything a district had loaded would be overwritten. During the district data entry period, the 

state served as a resource for LEAs to help answer questions until the CRDC collection window closed.

Lessons Learned 

LEA: Prepopulation by the SEA through data extracts generally results in more accurate data than keying data into a flat 

file or the online survey forms. It is important that LEAs adhere to the state-established timelines, so the SEA conducts 

a number of trainings to ensure that LEAs are aware of the timeline and expectations. If an LEA does not follow the 

timeline and procedures, it may end up entering data that are ultimately overwritten if the SEA needs to reload data 

during the state-established validation period. 

SEA: KDE found that prepopulating data for the CRDC for the first time was more work than expected. No additional 

staff were hired. Existing staff wrote the extracts, pulled the data, and entered the data into the CRDC Online 

Submission System. As much work as possible was done during the slower summer months preceding the CRDC 

collection window. Once the scripts were written to extract the data, the time requirement was lower. Changes to the 

biennial collection can create additional and ongoing difficulties, but communication and early planning can ease this 

burden. Communication throughout the process is a key component in successful reporting. KDE communicates with 

districts through webcasts and in-person trainings. A state CRDC web page (http://education.ky.gov/districts/tech/

sis/Pages/KY-CRDC.aspx) is used as a one-stop shop for updates and information. LEAs are encouraged to use a team 

approach to CRDC reporting by involving applicable data stewards to help with reporting and validation. 
Appendix A: Process Diagrams 27

Appendix A: Process Diagrams

The four process diagrams in this appendix visually depict the reporting process for the Civil Rights Data Collection. The 

first diagram shows the reporting process for a local education agency (LEA) that does not receive assistance from either 

a vendor or the state education agency (SEA). The second diagram shows the reporting process for an LEA that receives 

assistance from a vendor. The third diagram shows the reporting process for an LEA that receives data files from the SEA 

that can be used for CRDC reporting. The fourth diagram shows the reporting process for an LEA for which the SEA 

prepopulates data in the CRDC Online Submission System. 

LEA with No Support

The diagram below shows the CRDC reporting process for an LEA that receives no support from a vendor or from 

the SEA.

Model 1: LEA with no State or Vendor Support Process Diagram

DATA SYSTEM 

SOURCES

TABULATION -VIA SOFTWARE 

AND/OR MANUAL EDIT DESTINATION

Electronic

Student Data 

Systems

State

Feedback

Files Paper

Surveys

Data 

Capture

Data 

Coding

Data 

Editing

START

Data 

Compiling

Data 

Results 

Examine

Certified a 

Cleansed

and Validated 

Submission END

Resolve 

Issue

LEA 

CRDC 

Contact

Combined/Load 

Data Sets to 

CRDC

CRDC System
28 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

LEA with Vendor Support

The diagram below shows the CRDC reporting process for an LEA that receives vendor support in creating CRDC 

data files.

Model 2: LEA with Vendor Support Process Diagram

DATA SYSTEM 

SOURCES

TABULATION -VIA SOFTWARE 

AND/OR MANUAL EDIT DESTINATION

Electronic

Student Data 

Systems

State

Feedback

Files Paper

Surveys

Data 

Capture

Data 

Coding

Data 

Editing

START

Data 

Compiling

Data 

Results 

Examine

Certified a 

Cleansed

and Validated 

Submission END

Resolve 

Issue

LEA CRDC 

Contact

Combined/Load 

Data Sets to 

CRDC

LEA Vendor

Writes Standard

Routines for CRDC Data

CRDC System
Appendix A: Process Diagrams 29

LEA with State Extract Support

The diagram below shows the CRDC reporting process for an LEA that receives CRDC data from the SEA. In this case, 

the SEA does not prepopulate data in the CRDC Online Submission System. The SEA provides data to the LEA to use 

for CRDC reporting.

Model 3: LEA with State SLDS Extract Support Process Diagram

DATA SYSTEM 

SOURCES

TABULATION -VIA 

SOFTWARE AND/OR 

MANUAL EDIT 

DESTINATION

Electronic 

Student Data 

Systems

Paper 

START Surveys

Certified a 

Cleansed and 

Validated 

Submission END

Resolve Issue

SLDS Function 

for LEA to 

Download 

CRDC Data

LEA Adds Local 

Data Not 

Available From 

State SLDS

Data Capture Data Cleanse 

(Validate and Edit)

Data 

Compiling

Data Reports 

and/or Files for 

Final Review

State SLDS CRDC System

LEA Data 

System Sources

(Electronic Student Data 

Systems and Paper Surveys)

LEA Loads 

Combined Data 

to CRDC

Combined/

Completed 

CRDC Data 

Load
30 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

LEA with State Prepopulation Support

The diagram below shows the CRDC reporting process for an LEA whose SEA prepopulates data directly into the 

CRDC Online Submission System.

Model 4: LEA with State SLDS Prepopulation Process Diagram

DATA SYSTEM 

SOURCES

TABULATION -VIA 

SOFTWARE AND/OR 

MANUAL EDIT 

DESTINATION

Electronic 

Student Data 

Systems

Paper 

START Surveys

END

Resolve Issue

Extract, 

Transfer, and 

Load From 

State SLDS

LEA Submits Missing 

and Corrected Data

Version 0.06

Data Capture Data Cleanse 

(Validate and Edit)

Data 

Compiling

Data Reports 

and/or Files for 

Final Review

State SLDS CRDC System

LEA Data 

System Sources

(Electronic Student Data 

Systems and Paper Surveys)

Certified a 

Cleansed and 

Validated 

Submission
Appendix B: Resources 31

Appendix B: Resources

The following references were used in creating this guide.

Civil Rights Data Collection, Grads 360 website (CRDC 2016a). 2015–16 Civil Rights Data Collection: General Overview, 

Changes, and List of Data Elements. Downloaded February 28, 2017 from https://crdc.grads360.org/#communities/pdc/

documents/9937

Civil Rights Data Collection, Grads 360 website (CRDC 2016b). 2015-16 Civil Rights Data Collection: List of Elements (Flat 

File Specs). Downloaded November 21, 2016 from https://crdc.grads360.org/#communities/pdc/documents/5076

Civil Rights Data Collection, Grads 360 website (CRDC 2016c). Civil Rights Data Collection Planning Checklist. 

Downloaded November 21, 2016 from https://crdc.grads360.org/#communities/pdc/documents/5238

Civil Rights Data Collection, Grads 360 website (CRDC 2016d). How to Organize Data Submissions. Downloaded 

November 21, 2016 from https://crdc.grads360.org/#communities/pdc/documents/5592

Civil Rights Data Collection, Grads 360 website (CRDC 2016e). Introduction to the Civil Rights Data Collection SY 2015-

16. PowerPoint presentation. Downloaded November 21, 2016 from https://crdc.grads360.org/services/PDCService.

svc/GetPDCDocumentFile?fileId=18652

Civil Rights Data Collection, Grads 360 website (CRDC 2016f). SEA Support Matrix by Item. Downloaded November 21, 

2016 from https://crdc.grads360.org/#communities/pdc/documents/11959

Civil Rights Data Collection, Grads 360 website (CRDC 2016g). Tips to Avoid Common Flat File Submission Mistakes. 

Downloaded December 27, 2016 from https://crdc.grads360.org/#communities/pdc/documents/6725

Civil Rights Data Collection, Grads 360 website (CRDC 2016h). Ways States can support their LEAS with the 

CRDC. Downloaded November 21, 2016 from https://crdc.grads360.org/services/PDCService.svc/

GetPDCDocumentFile?fileId=18811

Office for Civil Rights (OCR 2016a). Civil Rights Data Collection. Downloaded November 21, 2016 from 

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/data.html

Office for Civil Rights (OCR 2016b). Civil Rights Data Collection, Frequently Asked Questions. Downloaded November 21, 

2016 from http://ocrdata.ed.gov/downloads/FAQ.pdf

Office for Civil Rights (OCR 2016c). Civil Rights Data Collection, Frequently Asked Questions, Downloaded November 21, 

2016 from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/frontpage/faq/crdc.html

Office for Civil Rights (OCR 2016d). Civil Rights Data Collection Reporting Tool. Downloaded November 21, 2016 from 

http://ocrdata.ed.gov/
32 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

Office for Civil Rights (OCR 2016e). OCR Complaint Process. Downloaded January 3, 2017 from https://www2.ed.gov/

about/offices/list/ocr/complaintprocess.html

Office of Management and Budget (OMB 2017). Mandatory Civil Rights Data Collection, OMB Control Number 1870-0504. 

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Downloaded February 28, 2017 from https://www.reginfo.gov/public/

do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201507-1870-001

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES 2016). SLDS Topical Webinar Summary State Support for Local Education 

Agencies’ Civil Rights Data Collection, National Center for Education Statistics, May 5, 2016. Downloaded November 21, 

2016 from https://slds.grads360.org/services/PDCService.svc/GetPDCDocumentFile?fileId=23276

U.S. Department of Education (ED 2014). Data Snapshot: Early Childhood Education. Issue Brief Number 2, March 2014. 

Downloaded November 21, 2016 from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/crdc-early-learningsnapshot.pdf

U.S. Department of Education (ED 2016a). Chronic Absenteeism in the Nation’s Schools: An unprecedented look at a hidden 

educational crisis. Initially released in June 7, 2016. Updated on October 27, 2016. Downloaded November 21, 2016 

from https://www2.ed.gov/datastory/chronicabsenteeism.html

U.S. Department of Education (ED 2016b). “Persistent Disparities Found Through Comprehensive Civil Rights Survey 

Underscore Need for Continued Focus on Equity, King Says,” press release issued by the U.S. Department of Education, 

June 7, 2016. Downloaded November 21, 2016 from http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/persistent-disparitiesfound-through-comprehensive-civil-rights-survey-underscore-need-continued-focus-equity-king-says

U.S. Department of Education (ED 2017). Every Student Succeeds Act State and Local Report Cards Non-regulatory 

Guidance, January 2017. Downloaded on February 28, 2017 from https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/

essastatereportcard.pdf
Appendix B: Resources 33

The Civil Rights Data Collection Resource Center

The online Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) Resource Center can be found at https://crdc.grads360.

org/#program.

The home page of the website includes contact information for the CRDC Partner Support Center, a link to the CRDC 

Online Submission System, and links to the following resources:

• A New User Starter Kit for LEA staff who are new to CRDC reporting

• Preparation Resources and Submission Resources for the 2015-16 CRDC (described in detail below)

• The Getting Started page, which contains videos that provide an overview of the CRDC and the necessary tools 

and resources to begin the submission process for the CRDC

Preparation Resources

The Preparation Resources page contains the following resources:

• Pre-Collection Tools

▫ 2015-16 CRDC LEA Form

▫ 2015-16 CRDC LEA Form Worksheet

▫ 2015-16 LEA-Level Table Layout

▫ 2051-16 CRDC All Schools Form

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Elementary School Form (up to Grade 6)

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Elementary/Middle School Form (up to Grade 8)

▫ 2015-16 CRDC School Form Worksheet

▫ 2015-16 CRDC School-Level Table Layout

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Excel Data Collection Template LEA Form

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Excel Data Collection Template School Form

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Excel Data Collection Template Instructions

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Flat File Specifications

▫ Template for Adding LEAs or Schools

▫ Course Code Mapping Template

▫ School Courses for the Exchange of Data (SCED) Course Codes

▫ SEA Support Matrix by Item

• Resource Documents

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Calendar for Data Activities

▫ Introduction to the CRDC

▫ About the CRDC

▫ 2015-16 CRDC General Overview, Changes, and List of Data Elements

▫ Complete List of 2015-16 CRDC Data Elements

▫ Master List of 2015-16 CRDC Definitions

▫ Changes in the 2015-16 CRDC

▫ CRDC Crosswalk for 2015-16 and 2013-14

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Planning Guide and Task Tracker

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Planning Guide and Task Tracker for Elementary and Middle School LEAs
34 Forum Guide to Collecting Civil Rights Data

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Planning Guide and Task Tracker for Juvenile Justice Facilities

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Planning Checklist

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Data Topics by Timeframe

▫ 2015-16 CRDC How to Select a Principal Contact Person

▫ 2015-16 CRDC How to Create an Action Plan for Missing Data

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Who Reports My Charter School?

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Which Schools Do I Report?

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Common Scenarios for Where to Report Students

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Ways SEAs can Support LEAs

▫ EDFacts and the CRDC

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Advance Website Instructions

• PSC Communications

▫ Change to Data Element for 2015-16 CRDC: Current Year and Previous Year Teachers

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Pre-Launch Broadcast to LEAs

▫ Change to Data Element for 2015-16 CRDC: GED/HSE

▫ 2015-16 OCR Letter to Superintendents

• Instructional Videos

▫ Getting Started with the CRDC

▫ How to Use Flat File Submissions

Submission Resources

The Submission Resources page contains the following resources:

• Submission Tools

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Excel Data Collection Template LEA Form

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Excel Data Collection Template School Form

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Excel Data Collection Template Instructions

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Flat File Submission Instructions

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Flat File Specifications (List of Elements)

• Resource Documents

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Managing Flat File Submissions

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Using the Error Resolution Report

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Skipped Field Warnings

▫ 2015-16 CRDC How to Organize Data Submissions

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Tips to Avoid Common Flat File Submission Mistakes

▫ 2015-16 CRDC How to Import CSV Files into Excel Files

▫ 2015-16 CRDC How to convert Excel Files into CSV Files

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Troubleshooting School or LEA IDs Converted by Excel

• PSC Communications

▫ Change to Data Element for 2015-16 CRDC: Current Year and Previous Year Teachers

▫ 2015-16 CRDC Pre-Launch Broadcast to LEAs

▫ Change to Data Element for 2015-16 CRDC: GED/HSE

▫ 2015-16 OCR Letter to Superintendents
Appendix B: Resources 35

• Instructional Videos

▫ How to Use CRDC Reports

How to Use CRDC Reports (This information is taken from the instructional video mentioned above.) 

CRDC reports are available to authorized users of the CRDC Online Submission System. Users may access the reports 

through the link on the right side of the ribbon at the top of the CRDC Online Submission System website. Available 

reports include the following: 

• Submission review reports 

• Submission progress reports

• The SEA certification progress report, which allows state users to see the progress of each LEA in the state 

toward completion of the CRDC

• A data feedback report, which allows state users to see district data on specific indicators such as AP courses, 

special education, and harassment and bullying broken down by student groups 

• The error resolution report, which is designed for advanced users (The report allows data submitters to see 

the results of all system validation checks. Users can enter reason codes and comments to explain errors. They 

may also enter new data to correct errors, and the report will correct the data in the system without the user 

having to do a new submission. Instructions are provided in the report.)

Additional Resource

Shining a Light on Equity: Opportunities to Use Data to Serve All Students

Published by the Data Quality Campaign in June 2017, this two-page resource discusses how states can use equity data to 

improve transparency and take action on behalf of all students. Available at https://dataqualitycampaign.org/resource/

shining-a-light-on-equity-opportunities-to-use-data-to-serve-all-students/.