For Persons 5 years Old and Over
P22. What is the highest grade/year completed by [respondent]?
(Please see code book)
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P22 Highest educational attainment
Data on highest educational attainment furnish material for a comparison of the present educational equipment of the adult population with the present and anticipated future requirements of manpower for various types of economic activities.
Highest educational attainment refers to the highest grade or year completed in school, college or university as of May 1, 2000. This may be any one of the specific grades or years in elementary, high school, post secondary school, college and post-baccalaureate levels of schooling. It also includes pre-school education.
Ask the question in P22: "What is the highest grade/year completed by ___?" for all persons 5 years old and over. Enter in P22 the two-digit code corresponding to the highest educational attainment, which are listed in the Code Book.
If the answer given by the respondent is in terms of the level of schooling only (e.g., elementary, high school, college) and not the specific grade or year completed, determine the specific grade or year by asking the respondent additional questions. The answer "Elementary" or "High School" is insufficient.
Examples:
1. Enter 11 if the person has only completed Grade 1, 13 for Grade 3 or 22 for 2nd Year High School.
2. If the person has not completed any grade at all, enter 00.
3. The code for pre-school is 01.
4. A student who is enrolled in 2nd year high school at the time of the census has completed 1st year and should therefore be reported as 1st year high school - 21.
Report also in P22 the post secondary course that a person has completed. Post secondary course refers to the stage of formal education following the secondary education level covering non-degree programs that have varying duration lasting up to three years, concerned primarily with developing strong and appropriately trained middle level manpower.
Post Secondary 1 year is the highest grade completed by a person who has taken a post secondary course for at least a year but has not yet completed the course at the time of Census 2000. Consider, for example, a person who at the time of the census is a 2nd year student of a 2-year course in Automotive Technology. Since he has finished his 1st year in Automotive Technology, he is considered under this category and the correct code is 31.
Post Secondary 2 years is the highest grade completed by a person who has taken at least two year but has not yet completed the course at the time of Census 2000. The appropriate code for this is 32.
In order to determine whether the vocational/technical course reported by the respondent is under post secondary education (formal education) the following probing questions should be asked:
1. Is the course offered/taken in school, college/university or NMYC? If in
NMYC, the course is non-formal and therefore, will not be considered as post secondary education.
If in school, college/university the following question should be asked:
2. Is completion of high school course a requirement for admission? If yes, the course is considered formal, hence, post secondary.
If the person has successfully completed his post secondary education, enter the code of the course/certificate completed in the code boxes and specify its title and corresponding duration on the space provided. The codes (50 - 58) are provided in the Code Book.
Examples:
2-Yr. Associate in Art, code 50
2-Yr. Certificate in Physical Education, code 51
6-Mo. Basic Computer System, code 54
6-Mo. Auto Diesel Technology, code 56
Take note of the following cases:
1. If a person finished a post secondary course and is currently a 1st year college student, his post secondary course should be reported.
2. If a person is currently enrolled in a (6-month or 1-year) post secondary course but has not finished the course, he should be reported as a high school graduate.
3. If a person is currently in 1st year college or post secondary, do not assume that he is only a high school graduate. Verify if he has taken/completed other courses (degree or non-degree courses).
If the person is a college undergraduate, i.e., he has not earned a degree; enter the code for the year of his completed education as 41 for 1st year college, 44 for 4th year college, etc.
Note that code 46 stands for 6th or higher year in college. If he has graduated from college but has never been enrolled in any post-baccalaureate course, the appropriate code may either be 60 to 68, depending on the college course finished. Different categories are listed in the Code Book.
Usually, it is difficult to differentiate certificate and diploma courses that are under post secondary education from post-graduate courses. In order to determine whether the course reported by the respondent is a post secondary or post-graduate course, the following question should be asked:
Is a baccalaureate or a college degree a requirement for admission to certificate or diploma course? If yes, the course is considered under postgraduate course. Otherwise, it is classified as post secondary course.
Examples:
Certificate in Development Economics - post graduate course
Diploma in Population Communication - post graduate course
Diploma in Junior Secretarial - post secondary
Certificate in Agri-Business - post secondary
The acquisition of a college degree implies the successful completion of a course study. Information on degree received should be collected only for persons who have completed a course study at the third level of education. Such information should include the title of the highest degree received, and an indication of the field of study if the title does not make it clear.
For a college graduate, enter the corresponding code of the specific Bachelor's or higher degree obtained. The codes (60 - 68) are provided in the Code Book.
Examples:
B.S. Commerce, code 63
B.S. Chemical Engineering, code 65
B.S. Math, code 64
For those who have pursued and completed two or more degrees of the same level and duration, report only one degree or whichever degree the person preferred to be reported.
Post-baccalaureate refers to any course for which an under graduate degree is required. Masters and doctoral degree students and graduates fall under this category. In addition, law or medical students who have earned a degree, e.g., BS Political Science, BS Zoology, BS Med. Tech., etc. but are still in law or medical school should also be considered under this category. The appropriate code for this educational level is 71. The same rule applies to graduate students who are still working for their master's degree, taking doctorate studies and for a person who have completed masters or doctoral degree. For both cases enter 71.
If an unusually high "highest educational attainment" is reported in relation to the age of the person, verify the report from the respondent. For example: 3rd year high school for a boy who is 13 years old or college graduate for a person who is 17 years old.