NAEP Technical DocumentationQuestionnaire Editing

Teacher, school, and SD/LEP questionnaires are image-scanned documents. Editing of questionnaires is performed through both the image system and the paper editing process. Paper editing takes place to verify questionnaire cover information against the roster of questionnaires.

Pearson staff members check all documents listed on the roster to ensure that all materials are undamaged and assembled correctly. The machine edits performed during data capture verify that each sheet of each document is present and that each field has an appropriate value. All batches entered into the system are edited for errors.

Data editing takes place after these checks. This consists of a computerized edit review of each respondent's document and the clerical edits necessary to make corrections based upon the computer edit. This data-editing step is repeated until all data are correct.

A computerized edit list, produced after NAEP questionnaires are scanned and all the supporting documentation sent from the field, is used to perform the first phase of the edit function. The hard-copy edit list contains all the vital statistics about the batch: number of students, school code, type of document, suspect cases, and record serial numbers. Using this information, the data editor verifies that the batch has been assembled correctly and that each school number is correct. During data entry, counts of processed documents are generated by type. These counts are compared against the information captured from the rosters.

In the second phase of data editing, experienced editing staff use a predetermined set of specifications to review the field errors and record necessary corrections to the data file. Members of the editing staff review the computer-generated edit log and the area of the source document that was noted as being suspect or as containing possible errors. The composition of the field is shown in the edit box. An editing staff member checks this piece of information against the NAEP source document. At that point, one of the following takes place:

Correctable error - If the error is correctable by the editing staff according to the editing specifications, the correction is noted on the edit log for later correction via key entry.
Alert - If an error is not correctable according to the specifications, an alert is issued to NAEP project staff for resolution. Once the correction information is obtained, the correction is noted on the edit log for key entry correction.
Non-correctable error - If a suspected error is found to be correct as stated and no alteration is possible according to the source document and specifications, no corrective action is taken. The programs are tailored to allow this information to be accepted into the data record.

The corrected edit log is then forwarded to the key entry staff for processing. When all corrections are entered and verified for a batch, an extract program pulls the corrected records into a mainframe dataset. At this point, the mainframe edit program is initiated. The edit criteria are again applied to all records. If there are further errors, a new edit listing is printed and the cycle is repeated.

When the edit process produces an error-free file, the questionnaire ID number is posted to the NAEP tracking file by document type. This permits Pearson staff to monitor the NAEP processing effort by accurately measuring the number of documents processed by form. The posting of questionnaire IDs also ensures that a questionnaire ID is not processed more than once.

Last updated 08 May 2008 (MH)

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