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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

VERIFICATION OF DATA

IHE's ability to verify pass rate calculations

Question: How does the reporting guide ensure an IHE's ability to verify the pass rates attributable to its program completers?

Answer: The Department lacks the legal authority to compel states or testing companies to provide IHEs with the scores of individual program completers, data that the IHEs could use to verify the accuracy of pass rate calculations performed by the testing company or state. However, the guide acknowledges that for many IHEs these linked data may be the best way to verify pass rate calculations and directs states to try to develop procedures that can accommodate IHEs' desire for these linked data, to the extent possible. Where state law or policy does not permit the state agency to develop these procedures, IHEs still will be able to receive from the testing company or state a list of all completers whose scores are included in the pass rate calculations. They also will be able to receive the scores of these completers, albeit scores not linked to a particular test taker.

The cost and burden an institution assumes in this verification process will depend, in part, on the number of program completers whose scores it chooses to verify as properly included in the pass rate calculations and on its willingness to use random sampling.

General quality control

Question : What kind of quality control will exist to ensure that this occurs?

Answer: The guide requires states' agencies, in collaboration with all IHEs in their states, to develop procedures to implement the reporting methods and key definitions that the guide includes. In the report on procedures which is due to the Department by October 7, 2000 (and which the Department will forward to the Congress and otherwise make public), the state agency will need to describe its procedures for ensuring this kind of basic quality control.

More specifically, states will have to develop and implement procedures to ensure that they and IHEs use the definitions of program completer, teacher preparation program, and other terms that the guide specifies, and that all data are complete and accurate.