Level of instruction
5.4 What is the last year or grade that (Name) spent or passed in school?
00. None
1. Preschool or kindergarten
2. Primary
3. Secondary
4. Preparatory
5. Basic normal
6. Professional
7. Post graduate
99. Does not know
5.4B Level ____
5.4 Level of instruction
The question is asked to all people 5 years old or older with the goal of finding out the highest level of study passed by a person.
Level of instruction is the last grade of studies passed by a person within the formal educational system (preschool or kindergarten, primary, secondary, preparatory, or high school, basic normal, professional and post graduate).
[graphic of the question from the census form]
In this question, only grades or years passed are taking into account, and are written down in column 5.4A, in 5.4B the corresponding code of educational level is registered.
Question 5.4 has the following answer options.
Preschool or kindergarten 1
Register in 5.4A grades or years passed in preschool and in 5.4B code 1 if it is the last level studied by the person.
Primary 2
Code 2 is registered in 5.4B if the person declares those that form this level (from 1st to 4th grade) as the last grade passed. For example, if the response is took the third year of primary, 2 years have been passed, for which 2 grades in level 2 should be written down.
[p. 105]
When a person takes the first year of primary school and declarers to have attended it and
left it not passed and unfinished, ask for the years passed in preschool. If none, register 0 in the grade column and 0 in level. If a person is 12 years old or older go to question 5.5 of Other studies, if younger than this age, continue with the next person on the list.
When it is mentioned "went until fifth," it is important to distinguish if the year mentioned was passed, was not passed or was not finished. The expression "went to fourth" means took the fourth year and, therefore, there are three passed grades in primary school.
For people who mention having completed the six grades of study of primary school in four years, and got their certificate of complete primary school because the plan is structured as such, consider that if they did finish primary school and write down 6 in grades and 2 in level.
On the other hand, when a person has completed primary school in less years then required because of studying in a program of adult education in the system of open education, and received the certificate of complete primary education, register 6 in grades and 2 in level.
For people older than 50 years who declare to have finished primary school, but did not receive the corresponding certificate since they only passed three or four years of study because the there was no possibility of continuing due to the lack of teachers of school being far away, write down the years passed since it is not considered complete primary school.
Secondary 3
People who passed the last year of any of the grades of this level, even in general secondary schools, technical or tele-secondary schools are registered.
When a person declares to have studied secondary school in an open system of adult education, equate it as three years, that is, if it was completed in one year, write down 3 in grades and 3 in level.
In the case of people with any disability (cerebral palsy, mental weaknesses, etc) who have passed years of basic education (primary or secondary), in schools of special education, write down the grades passed and the level in the corresponding spaces. If a person has not or did not pass any year, write down 0 in grades and 0 in level.
[p. 106]
Preparatory or high school 4
Here people who passed the last level and grade in preparatory school, high schools, and technical schools that are equivalent are considered. When this is the situation, write down in 5.4A the grades passed and code 4 in 5.4B.
The educational centers that offer studies equivalent to preparatory or high school are the following:
- School of secondary education.
- School of Sciences and Humanities (CCH).
- Center of Secondary Industrial and Service Technology (CBTIS).
- Center of Secondary Agricultural and Livestock Technology (CBTA).
- Center of Scientific and Technological Studies (CECyT), before vocational.
- Center of Studies of the Sea (CETMar).
- Center of Technological Studies of Continental Waters (CETAC).
- Center of Secondary Forestry Technology (CBTF)
- Preparatory schools
It should be mentioned that in this level, studies done in Conlep (National School of Professional Technical Education) and CETI (Center of Technical Industrial Education) are not considered, since they are not studies equivalent to preparatory, but rather they are for technical purposes. When they tell you this type of study, write down the years passed in secondary school in question 5.4 and, later, register in the question in Other studies, the information about the technical career.
Also , if a person finished preparatory school in two years and can request the certificate write down 3 in grades and 4 in level, since it is equivalent to those normally required.
Normal basic 5
This option finds out information about people who take the Normal Basic whose requisite for joining was finish secondary school. If the requisite is preparatory, then they are considered within the professional level and option 6 is written down.
When an informant declares studies of normal basic and preparatory (high school), ask to pick one and register the grades and level in the corresponding spaces.
Professional 6
Include people with studies at the degree level done in universities, technologies, polytechnics, and other institutions of superior education, public or private, whose requisite to join is preparatory or high school.
[p. 107]
Studies done in the CETAS (Center of Technological Studies in Sub-Aquatic Activities) and Unitec (Technological University) since the precedent or requisite is preparatory or high school and they are three year schools and are not granted the level of degree are not considered in level of instruction. If they declare studies done in any of these institutions, register it as years passed in preparatory in question 5.4 and later, write down the information of technical career in the questions of Other studies.
When an informant responds that the person has finished the career, but does not know how many years were passed, register 4 in grades and 6 in level.
If a case is presented in which the preparatory or degree level is divided in trimesters or semesters, make the conversion to the calendar year according to the following information:
Two semesters, three four semesters, four trimesters, or six two month semesters equal a year.
For example, if an informant declares to have taken three semesters of professional, write down 1 in grades and 6 in level and went to the fifth semester, write down 2 in grades and 6 in level.
Some careers are taken in four and a half years, that is, nine semesters; in the case of passing all of them, only register 4 in grades.
For people who studied two degrees, only register the career that the informant selects, or the one where most years were taken.
In cases of careers that last more than eight years (music in the Conservatory), register 8 in grades and 6 in level.
Social service required in all careers and interment in the case of medicine are not considered passed grades. For example, if an informant declares to have taken the medical career in 7 years, ask if social service is being considered, and if the informant says it is, register 5 in grades.
Post graduate 7
This level means the studies of master and doctorate done after completing and having obtained a degree.
In the case of people who have passed any year of doctorate, add it to the years passed in masters and register them in the corresponding columns.
It should be clear that the specialties of doctors, whose duration is three years, can be equivalent to masters. Also, the subspecialty corresponds [p. 108] with the doctorate and they are studies with the duration of one to three years, so when they declare studies of this type, register them in this option.
On the other hand, diplomas and courses of specialization remain exclusively at the level of instruction, since they are not granted and academic grade and their scholarly precedence and duration vary. When they declare this type of studies, ask for the last grade and level passed in the formal educational system.
In the same way, when a person does not know how many years have been studied due to taking it in an open system of education in parts (primary and secondary) or subject matters (preparatory), make the conversion into calendar years, according to the following scheme:
Level / Grades / Level
Primary
Finished the first part / 4 / 2
Finished the second part / 6 / 2
Secondary
Finished the first part / 1 / 3
Finished the second part / 2 / 3
Finished the third part / 3 / 3
Preparatory
From 12 to 23 subject matters passed / 1 / 4
From 24 to 35 subject matters passed / 2 / 4
36 subject matters or more / 3 / 4
When a person declares to be taking the first grade of any level, register the grades passed in the previous level. For example, if the first year of secondary school is being taken, write down 6 in grades and 2 in level, which indicates that primary school was completed; or if the first year of preparatory school is being taken, write down 3 in grades and 3 in the level that corresponds to the finished secondary school.
If any person has studied in the United States, given the closeness with Mexico, make the following equivalents:
[The column to the left is in English]
Elementary School / Primary
Junior High / Secondary
High school / Preparatory or high school
College or University / Professional
Master or Doctor / Post graduate
When a person studied in any other country, ask what educational level corresponds to their studies with the levels included in the question. Also, investigate the total number of years passed.
[p. 109]
Does not know 99
Finally, if an informant does not know the information about any of the people on the list, register 9 in grades and 9 in level (Does not know).