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Functional Statements > Institute of Education SciencesC. National Center For Education Statistics 
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the United States and other nations.  It fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance of such statistics; assist State and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education activities in foreign countries.
The Center's activities are designed to:- address high priority education data needs;
- provide consistent, reliable, complete and accurate indicators of education status and trends; and,
- report timely, useful and high quality data to the Department, the Congress and other education policy makers and data users.

NCES is directed by a  Commissioner, appointed by the President and with the advice and consent of the  Senate.  The Commissioner reports to the  Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
The Center includes the Office of  the Commissioner and four Divisions: Early Childhood, International and Crosscutting  Studies Division, Assessment Division, Elementary/Secondary and Libraries  Studies Division, and Postsecondary Studies Division 

There are also two legislatively  mandated entities that contribute to the mission of the NCES.  The Advisory Council on Education Statistics  (ACES), reviews general operating policies and advises the Commissioner on  standards to ensure that statistics and other information disseminated by the  Center are of high quality and are not subject to partisan political influence.  The other group, the National Assessment  Governing Board (NAGB), develops policy guidelines for the National Assessment  of Education Progress (NAEP). 
**Office of the Commissioner**
The Commissioner sets NCES policy  and goals.  In addition, the Commissioner  is responsible for overseeing the operation of the Center and ensuring that  statistical quality and confidentiality are maintained.  

In performing its  responsibilities, the Immediate Office of the Commissioner ensures that the  operations of the Center are consistent with OERI, Department, and federal  standards, policies, and procedures, and that they are carried out in an  effective and efficient manner, and are customer-oriented.
**Office of the Deputy Commissioner**
The Deputy Commissioner assists  the Commissioner in the overall management and supervision of the work of  NCES.  The Deputy Commissioner is also  the NCES liaison to the Federal statistical community.

The Office of the Deputy  Commissioner also includes two programs: statistical standards and technology.

The statistical standards program  has Center-wide responsibilities for maintaining high standards of statistical  sophistication and quality for NCES> The program is directly responsible for  implementing confidentiality procedures, conducting the adjudications and  publications reviews, and maintaining the Task Force on Quality Systems.

The technology program has  Center-wide responsibility for providing hardware and software, web site  development and maintenance, workstation support, and technology planning.
**Early Childhood, International, and Crosscutting Studies Division**
The Early Childhood,  International, and Crosscutting Studies Division (ECICSD) has Center-wide  responsibility for identifying data needs across the Center as well as for  improving analyses, distribution, and use of products.  ECICSD also has responsibility within the  Center for the broad subject areas of international activities, early childhood  education, vocational education, and school crime and safety.  It is also responsible for conducting studies  and producing reports that cut across all levels of education, from early  childhood to life-long learning, and relations with key interagency groups. 

**Assessment Division**

The Assessment Division (AD)  conceives, designs, develops, implements and reports on the National Assessment  of Educational Progress (NAEP) at the national and state levels and conducts a  variety of related education assessment studies such as student transcripts and  adult literacy. The Division gathers, analyzes, and synthesizes qualitative and  quantitative data on American education and related policy and background  factors.  It provides normative,  descriptive, trend, growth, and comparative policy-relevant data concerning  achievement, education context, process, and other outcomes.

AD develops and applies  state-of-the-art psychometric procedures in operationalizing comprehensive  content frameworks and extensive item specifications.  It utilizes standardized terminology, data  definitions in such areas to ensure the compatibility of collected data and  derived measures.  This Division is  responsible for the coordination and linking of assessments and related data  collection activities across NCES surveys (e.g., international assessments) and  related surveys outside the Center, including State assessments.  The Division conducts in-depth statistical  analyses of these selected data bases from both sources. The Division ensures  the presentation of fair comparisons of student achievement and other  measures.  The Division is responsible  for the production of focused reports on assessment-related statistical  surveys, validity studies, and secondary analyses.

AD translates data needs into an  integrated, long-range program of assessment surveys and studies.  The Division collects, analyzes and reports  data on educational outcomes at the elementary/secondary levels, and for the  adult population; and applies and advances the state-of-the-art knowledge of  mathematical statistics, survey design, item construction, assessment  administration procedures, psychometrics, analysis techniques, and systems  analysis in the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of assessments and  other surveys.
**Elementary/Secondary and Libraries Studies Division**
The Elementary/Secondary and Libraries  Studies Division oversees planning, design, operations, statistical analysis,  reporting and dissemination for elementary, secondary and library surveys;  ensures that statistical quality and confidentiality are maintained; maintains  liaison with Departmental officials, Federal agencies, State and local  educational agencies, State library agencies, public and private schools,  statistical, education and library associations, and other individuals and  groups concerned with national elementary, secondary and library statistics.

The Division serves as the  primary federal data source for elementary and secondary education and for  libraries in the United States.  The  Division collects statistics on public and private elementary and secondary schools,  students, teachers, administrators, school finances and school districts in the  United States.  It also collects data on  public, state, and academic libraries, educational attainment, student  retentions, transitions, achievement, performance, placement and other outcomes  to illuminate current and emerging policy issues of interest to assist Federal,  State, and local educators.  Finally,  ESLSD is responsible for analyzing transcript data for longitudinal studies, as  well as planning and disseminating information from the decennial School  District Mapping Project.

The Division is responsible for  the development and implementation of the Congressionally- mandated National  Cooperative Education Statistics System in the areas of elementary, secondary,  and library education.  ESLSD is  responsible for the development and implementation of standardized terminology  and data definitions in the elementary, secondary, and library areas to ensure  the compatibility of data to be collected and a technical assistance program  that includes the promulgation of standards, training, support of electric data  collection, and dissemination.  It is  also responsible for maintaining an on-going longitudinal study and analysis of  elementary and secondary education students.
**Postsecondary Statistics Division**
The Postsecondary Statistics  Division (PSD) oversees planning, design, operations, statistical analysis,  reporting and dissemination for postsecondary surveys; ensures that statistical  quality and confidentiality are maintained; maintains liaison with Departmental  officials, Federal agencies, State higher education agencies, postsecondary  institutions, and postsecondary associations.
The Division serves as the  primary federal data source for postsecondary education in the United States  and collects statistics on enrollments, faculty and staff, completion and  attainment, and finances on postsecondary institutions.  In addition, PSD collects statistics on  student financial aid, persistence, progress, and degree attainment by  postsecondary students. Finally, PSD collects statistics on labor market  outcomes for postsecondary students and graduates.

The Division is also responsible  for the development and implementation of the Congressionally- mandated  National Cooperative Education Statistics System in the area of postsecondary  education.  The PSD is responsible for  the development and implementation of a technical assistance program that  includes the promulgation of standards, training, support of electronic data  collection, and dissemination.

**Order of Succession**

In the event that  theCommissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics dies,  resigns or is otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the  office and the office is thereby deemed to be  vacant, and the Secretary has not designated in writing another  individual to act as the Commissioner, the following officials, in the order shown, shall  perform the functions and duties of the office in an acting capacity.  

In instances where  the office of the Commissioner is filled, but the head of the National Center  for Education Statistics is absent, unavailable, otherwise unable to perform  the functions and duties of the position, and/or there is a disruption in the  normal channels of direction and communication, and unless the head of  the National  Center for Education Statistics or the Secretary, in writing,  designates another individual to act as the Commissioner, the following  officials, in the order shown, shall serve in an acting capacity as the Acting  Commissioner for Education Statistics:  

Associate  Commissioner, Assessment        Associate  Commissioner, Administrative Data      Associate  Commissioner, Sample 

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