DOI: 10.3886/icpsr04275.v1
title: Education Longitudinal Study (ELS), 2002: Base Year
title: Version 1

description: The base year of the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) of
2002 represents the first stage of a major longitudinal effort
designed to provide trend data about critical transitions experienced
by students as they proceed through high school and into postsecondary
education or their careers. The 2002 sophomore cohort will be
followed, initially at 2-year intervals, to collect policy-relevant
data about educational processes and outcomes, especially as such data
pertain to student learning, predictors of dropping out, and high
school effects on students' access to, and success in, postsecondary
education and the work force. Part 1, Student-Level Data, is
comprised of data from assessments of students (achievement tests in
mathematics and reading), surveys of students, surveys of parents, and
surveys of teachers. The student assessments measured achievement in
mathematics and reading, and they provided baseline scores that can
serve as a covariate or control variable for later analyses. The
student questionnaire gathered information about the student's
background, school experiences and activities, plans and goals for the
future, employment and out-of-school experiences, language background,
and psychological orientation toward learning. One parent of each
participating sophomore was asked to respond to a parent survey. The
parent questionnaire was designed to gauge parental aspirations for
the child, home background and the home education support system, the
child's educational history prior to 10th grade, and parental
interactions with and opinions about the student's school. For each
student enrolled in English or mathematics, a teacher was also
selected to participate in a teacher survey. The teacher questionnaire
collected the teacher's evaluations of the student and provided
information about the teacher's background and activities. Part 2,
School-Level Data, is comprised of data from surveys of school
administrators, surveys of librarians, and a facilities checklist
(completed by survey administrators, based on their observations at
the school). The school administrator questionnaire collected
information on the school in six areas: school characteristics,
student characteristics, teaching staff characteristics, school
policies and programs, technology, and school governance and
climate. The head librarian or media center director at each school
was asked to complete a library media center questionnaire that
inquired into the school's library media center facility, its
staffing, its technological resources, collection and expenditures,
and scheduling and transactions. The facilities checklist was a brief
observational form completed for each school. It collected information
about the condition of school buildings and facilities.
description: The general purpose of the weighting scheme was to
compensate for unequal probabilities of selection of schools and
students into the base year sample and to adjust for the fact that not
all schools and students selected into the sample actually
participated. Three sets of weights were computed: a school weight, a
weight for student questionnaire completion, and a contextual data
weight for the expanded sample of questionnaire eligible and
questionnaire ineligible students. Schools and students were adjusted
for nonresponse, and these adjustments were designed to significantly
reduce or eliminate nonresponse bias for data elements known for most
respondents and nonrespondents. In addition, school weights were
poststratified to known population totals. Weighting is discussed in
detail in section 3.4 of the User Guide provided by the principle
investigators.
description: ELS, 2002 used a two-stage sample selection process.
First, a national sample of schools was selected using stratified
probability proportional to size (PPS), and school contacting resulted
in 1,221 eligible public, Catholic, and other private schools from a
population of approximately 27,000 schools containing 10th grade
students. Of the eligible schools, 752 participated in the study. In
the second stage of sample selection, a sample of approximately 26
sophomores, from within each of the participating public and private
schools was selected. Each school was asked to provide a list of 10th
grade students, and quality assurance (QA) checks were performed on
each list that was received. A stratified systematic sample of
students was selected on a flow basis as student lists were received.
The strata were Hispanic, Asian, Black, and Other race/ethnicity.
The total expected student sample size of approximately 20,000
(approximately 800 x 25) was expanded to select additional Hispanic
(if necessary) and Asian students in order to estimate subpopulation
parameters within precision requirements.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Student-Level Data
DS2: School-Level Data
description: All eligible United States 10th graders in 2002.
description: computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI); cognitive assessment test; mail questionnaire; self-enumerated questionnaire