SDRP NSC Annotation and Verification Phase Materials August 2023

SDRP NSC Annotation and Verification Phase Materials August 2023.pdf

The School District Review Program (SDRP)

SDRP NSC Annotation and Verification Phase Materials August 2023

OMB: 0607-0987

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Request for Non-Substantive Change to the School District Review Program (SDRP)
OMB Control No. 0607-0987
U.S. Department of Commerce
U.S. Census Bureau
Purpose
The U.S. Census Bureau, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for
Education Statistics, conducts the School District Review Program (SDRP) annually. The SDRP
gives state officials the opportunity to update and review the Census Bureau’s school district
data. States can provide updates and corrections to the Census Bureau’s database of federal
school district local education agency (SDLEA) ID numbers, school district names, school district
boundaries, levels, and grade ranges.
Approved on August 2, 2021, the current SDRP OMB collection will expire on August 31, 2024.
This non-substantive change request updates to materials used for the 2024 SDRP. This nonsubstantive change request (NSC) includes the following materials:
•
•
•
•

2024 School District Review Program Respondent Guide: Annotation Phase.
2024 School District Review Program (SDRP) Quick Start Guide.
2024 SDRP Welcome Letter (SDRP-L2).
2024 School District Review Program Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

Background
The 2024 SDRP submission deadline is December 31, 2023. Participants have approximately
four months to review, update, and submit changes through listings, the submission log, or
Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS). Please note that the release of materials to
support the Annotation Phase will begin in September 2023.
In April 2024, participants will have the opportunity to verify changes submitted to the Census
Bureau during the annotation phase.
There are no substantive changes to the SDRP resulting from these modifications. The finalized
guides and letter do not alter the content or objective of the SDRP. The changes made were
necessary to reflect the most current SDRP information or to update the style in the guides.

Burden
The burden of the 2024 SDRP is unchanged by this update.

Attachments
Table 1: Changes to the 2024 SDRP Materials
Reported Change

Material

Location in Material

Description/Summary of
Change(s)

Updated
references for
program dates

All materials:
Respondent Guide,
Quick Start Guide,
Welcome Letter,
Verification Guide

Throughout each document

Updated references
throughout each document as
appropriate to reflect the
proper dates.

Updated
formatting

All materials

Throughout each document

Updated formatting like
capitalization of terms to be
consistent with current
guidance.

Updated footer on
first page of guides

Respondent Guide

Cover page

Applied the current Census
Bureau/Geography Division
footer to the cover pages of
the guides.

Removed a line in
the step action
tables explaining
the move from
county-based to
state-based work
units in 2023

Respondent Guide

Respondent Guide: Chapter
5, Section 5.1

Removed a line in the step
action tables explaining the
move from county-based to
state-based work units,
because state-based work
units continue in 2024.

Verification Guide

Verification Guide

Verification Guide: Section
1.2.1

2024 School District Review Program
Respondent Guide: Annotation Phase
Instructions for Using the Submission Log and the Geographic Update Partnership Software
(GUPS)
September 2023

This page intentionally left blank.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... ix
A.

School District Review Program....................................................................................... ix

B.

Mapping Coordinator Responsibilities .............................................................................x

C.

Types of School District Boundary Updates .....................................................................x

D.

Guidance for Boundary Changes ................................................................................... xix

Part 1

What is the School District Review Program (SDRP) ............................................. 1

Chapter 1 Overview ............................................................................................................ 1
1.1

SDRP Schedule ................................................................................................................. 1

1.2

SDRP Annotation Phase Materials ................................................................................... 1

1.3

SDRP and GUPS Help........................................................................................................ 1

1.4

Description and Use of Listing Files ................................................................................. 1

1.4.1 Inventory and Grade Range File (All States) ............................................................... 2
1.4.1.1 Submitting Updates to Information in the Inventory and Grade Range File ....................................2

1.4.2 County Coverage File (All States) ................................................................................ 2
1.4.3 Legal Entity Coextensive Coverage File (Limited States) ............................................ 3
1.4.4 School District to Geography (SD/GEO) Relationship File (Limited States) ................ 3
1.4.5 Submitting Updates to Information in the “County Coverage,” “Legal Entity
Coextensive Coverage”, and/or “Relationship” Files .................................................. 4
Part 2

How to Use the TIGERweb ................................................................................... 5

Chapter 2 Using the TIGERweb Map Viewer for the SDRP .................................................... 5
2.1

TIGERweb Basics .............................................................................................................. 6

2.1.1 Understanding the Main Display Tabs ........................................................................ 7
2.1.1.1 Understanding the Layers Tab ..........................................................................................................9

2.2

TIGERweb Tools and Functions...................................................................................... 12

2.2.1 Navigating the Map Display ...................................................................................... 13
2.2.2 Changing the Map Display Background .................................................................... 14
2.2.3 Identifying Features in the Map Display ................................................................... 15
2.2.4 Locating a School District .......................................................................................... 16
2.2.5 Printing and Saving a Map......................................................................................... 22
Part 3

How to Use the Submission Log ......................................................................... 24

Chapter 3 Using the Submission Log for the SDRP .............................................................. 24
3.1

School District Name Change ........................................................................................ 24

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3.2

Grade Range Change ..................................................................................................... 24

3.3

Federal SDLEA ID Number Change ................................................................................ 25

3.4

Level Change .................................................................................................................. 25

3.5

Simple Consolidation ..................................................................................................... 25

3.6

Simple Dissolution ......................................................................................................... 26

3.7

Simple Spatial Update Using Whole MCDs or Incorporated Places .............................. 27

Part 4

How to Use the Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS) ...................... 29

Chapter 4 Getting Started .................................................................................................. 29
4.1

Hardware and Software Requirements ......................................................................... 29

4.2

Download and Install GUPS ........................................................................................... 30

Chapter 5 Using GUPS for the SDRP ................................................................................... 35
5.1

Start a New Project Using Census Web ......................................................................... 35

5.2

GUPS Menus and Toolbars ............................................................................................ 40

5.2.1 Introducing the SDRP Toolbar ................................................................................... 42
5.2.2 Describing the SDRP Toolbar’s Modify Area Feature Tool........................................ 44
5.2.2.1 Using the Select Feature(s) Button in the Modify Area Feature Tool .............................................46

5.3

SDRP Updates Using GUPS............................................................................................. 53

5.3.1 Boundary Change Basics ........................................................................................... 53
5.3.2 Load County Reference Layers .................................................................................. 54
5.3.3 Unload County Reference Layers .............................................................................. 55
5.3.4 Boundary Change Using Whole Faces ....................................................................... 57
5.3.5 Add a Linear Feature to Split a Face.......................................................................... 62
5.3.6 Delete a Linear Feature ............................................................................................. 64
5.3.7 Making Elementary and Secondary School District Boundary Changes
Simultaneously .......................................................................................................... 67
5.3.8 Complex Consolidation ............................................................................................. 72
5.3.9 Complex Dissolution .................................................................................................. 78
5.3.10 New District ............................................................................................................... 83
5.4

Review and Validate Updates ........................................................................................ 87

5.4.1 SDRP Criteria Review Tool ......................................................................................... 87
5.4.1.1 Grade Range Overlap Error .............................................................................................................89
5.4.1.2 Grade Range Coverage Gap Error–Incorrect Attributes .................................................................92
5.4.1.3 Grade Range Coverage Gap Error–Missing School District Geography Coverage ..........................93
5.4.1.4 Partially Dissolved School District Error ..........................................................................................93
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5.4.1.5 Informational Warning–Non-contiguous Entities ...........................................................................94
5.4.1.6 Informational Warning–Multiple Secondary School District (SCSD) Assigned to Single Elementary
School District (ELSD) ......................................................................................................................94
5.4.1.7 Informational Warnings–Options for Viewing ................................................................................95

5.4.2 Geography Review Tool ............................................................................................ 96
5.4.3 Review Change Polygons Tool................................................................................... 99
5.5

Export Zip Files to Share and Submit ........................................................................... 102

5.5.1 Export a File to Share with Another Participant ..................................................... 102
5.5.2 Export a File for Submission to the Census Bureau ................................................ 103
Part 5

How to Submit Files to the Census Bureau ....................................................... 106

Chapter 6 Using the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM) ............................................. 106
Appendix A

Financial Responsibility ................................................................................ A-1

A1

Pseudo School Districts ................................................................................................. A-1

A2

Elementary PK/KG-12 School District ........................................................................... A-3

Appendix B

Data Dictionary for the Listing Files .............................................................. B-1

B1

Data Dictionary for the Inventory and Grade Range File ............................................. B-1

B2

Data Dictionary for the County Coverage File .............................................................. B-1

B3

Data Dictionary for the Legal Entity Coextensive Coverage File .................................. B-2

B4

Data Dictionary for the School District to Geography Relationship File ...................... B-3

Appendix C

Shapefile Names .......................................................................................... C-1

Appendix D

Shapefile Layouts and Data Dictionary .......................................................... D-1

Appendix E

Additional GUPS Documentation .................................................................. E-1

E1

Menu Bar ...................................................................................................................... E-1

E2

Standard Toolbar Buttons ............................................................................................. E-5

E2.1 Change the Working Directory ................................................................................. E-7
E2.2 Clean GUPS Data .................................................................................................... E-10
E2.3 Import Custom Shapefiles ...................................................................................... E-11
E3

Table of Contents and Table of Contents Toolbar ...................................................... E-14

E4

Status Bar .................................................................................................................... E-16

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Types of School District Updates ...................................................................................... xi
Table 2: TIGERweb Main Display Tab Symbols and Their Function/Description ........................... 8
Table 3: TIGERweb Tools Involving the Map Display .................................................................... 13
Table 4: GUPS Hardware and Operating System Requirements .................................................. 29
Table 5: Steps to Download and Install GUPS .............................................................................. 30
Table 6: Steps to Open GUPS and Start a New Project Using Census Web .................................. 35
Table 7: Steps to Save and Close a Project ................................................................................... 39
Table 8: Steps to Open a Saved Project ........................................................................................ 40
Table 9: GUPS Main Page Elements and Their Function/Description .......................................... 41
Table 10: SDRP Toolbar Buttons and Their Function/Description ................................................ 42
Table 11: Modify Area Feature Tool Buttons and Their Function/Description ............................ 45
Table 12: Steps to Use the Select Feature(s) Button .................................................................... 46
Table 13: Steps to Load County Reference Layers........................................................................ 54
Table 14: Steps to Unload County Reference Layers .................................................................... 56
Table 15: Steps to Make a Boundary Change Using Whole Faces ................................................ 57
Table 16: Steps to Add a Linear Feature to Split a Face ............................................................... 62
Table 17: Steps to Delete a Linear Feature One Segment at a Time ............................................ 64
Table 18: Steps to Delete Multiple Segments of a Linear Feature ............................................... 65
Table 19: Steps to Make Elementary and Secondary School District Boundary Changes ............ 67
Table 20: Steps to Perform a Complex Consolidation .................................................................. 72
Table 21: Steps to Perform a Complex Dissolution ...................................................................... 78
Table 22: Steps to Create a New District ...................................................................................... 83
Table 23: SDRP Criteria Review Tool Error and Warning Messages ............................................. 88
Table 24: Steps to Use the SDRP Criteria Review Tool ................................................................. 88
Table 25: Steps to Correct a Grade Range Overlap Error ............................................................. 90
Table 26: Steps to Use the Geography Review Tool ..................................................................... 96
Table 27: Steps to Use the Review Change Polygons Tool ......................................................... 100
Table 28: Steps to Export a File to Share with Another Participant ........................................... 102
Table 29: Steps to Export a File for Submission to the Census Bureau ...................................... 104

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Table 30: Steps to Use SWIM ...................................................................................................... 107
Table 31: Pseudo School Districts in the Inventory and Grade Range Listing File ...................... A-2
Table 32: Data Dictionary for the Inventory and Grade Range File ............................................. B-1
Table 33: Data Dictionary for the County Coverage File ............................................................. B-2
Table 34: Data Dictionary for the Legal Entity Coextensive Coverage File .................................. B-2
Table 35: Data Dictionary for the School District to Geography Relationship File ...................... B-3
Table 36: Abbreviated State Shapefile Names ............................................................................ C-1
Table 37: Abbreviated County Shapefile Names ......................................................................... C-1
Table 38: American Indian Areas (aial)–Legal ..............................................................................D-1
Table 39: Census Designated Places (cdp) ...................................................................................D-2
Table 40: County and Equivalent Areas (county) ........................................................................D-3
Table 41: County Subdivisions (mcd) ...........................................................................................D-4
Table 42: Incorporated Places (place) .........................................................................................D-5
Table 43: Elementary School Districts (elsd) ...............................................................................D-6
Table 44: Secondary School Districts (scsd) .................................................................................D-7
Table 45: School District Administrative Areas (sdadm)–Vermont only .....................................D-8
Table 46: Unified School Districts (unsd) .....................................................................................D-9
Table 47: Area Landmark (arealm) ............................................................................................D-10
Table 48: All Lines (edges)..........................................................................................................D-11
Table 49: Faces (faces) ...............................................................................................................D-12
Table 50: Hydrography–Area (water) ........................................................................................D-13
Table 51: Menu Bar Tabs and Their Function/Description .......................................................... E-2
Table 52: Standard Toolbar Buttons and Their Function/Description ........................................ E-5
Table 53: Steps to Change the Working Directory ...................................................................... E-8
Table 54: Steps to Import Custom Shapefiles ............................................................................ E-11
Table 55: Table of Contents Toolbar Buttons and Their Function/Description ........................ E-15
Table 56: Status Bar Elements and Their Function/Description ................................................ E-16

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Boundary Change Example (Update Using GUPS) ......................................................... xiii
Figure 2: Complex Consolidation Example (Update Using GUPS) ................................................ xiv
Figure 3: Complex Dissolution Example (Update Using GUPS) ..................................................... xv
Figure 4: New District Example (Update Using GUPS) .................................................................. xvi
Figure 5: Simple Consolidation Example (Update Using the Submission Log) ............................ xvii
Figure 6: Simple Dissolution Example (Update Using the Submission Log) ............................... xviii
Figure 7: TIGERweb Applications Tab from the Main TIGERweb Page........................................... 6
Figure 8: TIGERweb Applications–Map Display with Sections and Tools Labeled ......................... 7
Figure 9: TIGERweb Applications–Main Display Tabs (Layers, Legend, and Task Results)............. 7
Figure 10: Layer Tab Depicting Vintage and Layers to Use in the SDRP ....................................... 10
Figure 11: Layers Tab–Map Services/Groupings and Defaults ..................................................... 11
Figure 12: Expanding a Grouping to Reveal Map Layers .............................................................. 11
Figure 13: Enabled Groupings (Turned-On/Visible in Map Display) ............................................. 12
Figure 14: Expanded Grouping and Layers with Slider Tool ......................................................... 12
Figure 15: Basemap Selection Button ........................................................................................... 14
Figure 16: Basemap Selection Button with Satellite Option ........................................................ 15
Figure 17: Identify Tool Button ..................................................................................................... 15
Figure 18: Identify Results and Attribute Information Windows ................................................. 16
Figure 19: Query Tool Button ....................................................................................................... 16
Figure 20: Query Tool Window ..................................................................................................... 16
Figure 21: Query Tool–Attribute Tab–Select Map ........................................................................ 17
Figure 22: Query Tool–Query by GEOID ....................................................................................... 18
Figure 23: Task Results Tab with Query Results ........................................................................... 18
Figure 24: Query Results–Info Panel............................................................................................. 19
Figure 25: Map Display with Query Results .................................................................................. 20
Figure 26: Query Tool–Query by Name ........................................................................................ 20
Figure 27: Query by Name Results ............................................................................................... 21
Figure 28: Map Display with Query Results .................................................................................. 22
Figure 29: Print Tool Button.......................................................................................................... 22

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Figure 30: Print Tool Window ....................................................................................................... 23
Figure 31: Example of a School District Name Change ................................................................. 24
Figure 32: Example of a School District Grade Range Change...................................................... 25
Figure 33: Example of a Federal SDLEA ID Number Change ......................................................... 25
Figure 34: Example of a Level Change .......................................................................................... 25
Figure 35: Example of a Simple Consolidation ............................................................................. 26
Figure 36: Example of a Simple Dissolution .................................................................................. 27
Figure 37: Example of a Simple Spatial Update–Boundary Change ............................................. 27
Figure 38: Example of a Simple Spatial Update–New District ...................................................... 28
Figure 39: GUPS Main Page Elements and Default Layout ........................................................... 41
Figure 40: SDRP Toolbar................................................................................................................ 42
Figure 41: Modify Area Feature Tool ............................................................................................ 45
Figure 42: Example of a Grade Range Gap Error–Incorrect Attributes ........................................ 93
Figure 43: Example of a Partially Dissolved School District Error ................................................. 94
Figure 44: Informational Warning (Multiple Secondary School Districts–Single School District) 95
Figure 45: Information Warning Check Boxes .............................................................................. 96
Figure 46: Example of a Pseudo School District–Pulaski County, KY ........................................... A-2
Figure 47: Menu Bar, Standard Toolbar, and SDRP Toolbar........................................................ E-1
Figure 48: Menu Bar .................................................................................................................... E-1
Figure 49: Standard Toolbar ........................................................................................................ E-5
Figure 50: Sub-Toolbar Markers .................................................................................................. E-5
Figure 51: GUPS Data Settings Window .................................................................................... E-10
Figure 52: GUPS Data Settings–Clean by Project ....................................................................... E-10
Figure 53: GUPS Data Settings–Clean by Program .................................................................... E-11
Figure 54: Table of Contents Toolbar ........................................................................................ E-15
Figure 55: Table of Contents with Layer Checkmarks and Arrows ............................................ E-16
Figure 56: Status Bar .................................................................................................................. E-16

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INTRODUCTION
This guide is divided into five parts.
•

Part 1 What is the School District Review Program (SDRP)

•

Part 2 How to Use the TIGERweb

•

Part 3 How to Use the Submission Log

•

Part 4 How to Use the Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS)

•

Part 5 How to Submit Files to the Census Bureau

In addition, it has five appendices that provide supplemental information.
IMPORTANT:

A.

GUPS, the SDRP website, and other materials for the 2024 SDRP were in the final stages
of development when this guide was created. Therefore, images used in this guide may
differ in the finalized versions of software and materials. Regardless of any difference in
images, the overall instruction, actions, and results that are illustrated within this
document remain consistent with what is anticipated for the program.

School District Review Program

The School District Review Program (SDRP) is a U.S. Department of Education National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES) sponsored program conducted annually by the U.S. Census
Bureau. It is of vital importance for the state’s allocation under Title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as amended by Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Public Law
114-95. The updated school district boundary information submitted through this program,
along with the decennial census population, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, and
current population estimates, are used in forming the Census Bureau’s estimates of the number
of children aged 5 through 17 in families in poverty for each school district. These estimates are
the basis of the Title I allocation for school districts in each state.
School districts are represented in the Census Bureau’s data according to financial
responsibility. This means that the spatial representation and grade range of each school
district indicate the school district that pays for the education of the students. For more
information and examples of financial responsibility, see Appendix A.
The SDRP consists of two phases—Annotation and Verification. In the Annotation Phase, the
Census Bureau provides mapping coordinators with current school district boundaries and
associated information for their state. The Annotation Phase materials the mapping
coordinator receives for the 2024 SDRP reflect the school district names, federal school district
local education agency (SDLEA) identification (ID) numbers, and boundaries updated during the
2023 SDRP. Each state reviews their data and reports changes in the school district boundaries
or attributes to the Census Bureau as they exist on January 1, 2024.
The review encompasses only Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 school districts as defined by the
NCES.
Type 1 is a local school district that is not a component of a supervisory union.
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Type 2 is a local school district component of a supervisory union sharing a superintendent and
administrative services with other local school districts.
Type 3 is an education agency that performs administrative services for more than one school
district, providing a common superintendent for participating districts.
After the Census Bureau incorporates changes submitted through the Annotation Phase into
the Master Address File (MAF)/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing
(TIGER) System, mapping coordinators will review these changes for accuracy and
completeness during the Verification Phase.

B.

Mapping Coordinator Responsibilities

Each year, the NCES sends a letter to each state and the District of Columbia requesting they
designate a mapping coordinator to be the primary liaison for the SDRP. It is the responsibility
of the mapping coordinator to initiate and maintain contact throughout the program with local
school district officials. The mapping coordinator must ensure that reviews and submissions are
completed within the time frame of the SDRP.
When the mapping coordinator receives updates from local school district officials, they must
review them for accuracy and completeness before submitting them to the Census Bureau. This
review includes all types of updates submitted. For boundary updates, it is the responsibility of
the mapping coordinator to confirm that a change is valid and all affected school districts agree
to the change.
Note: The state mapping coordinator for Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, West Virginia, or the
District of Columbia, may not have any changes to submit for the SDRP. School districts in these
states are all unified and county based. Unless the geographic relationship of school districts has
changed in the state or a school district’s name was changed, the mapping coordinator does not
have any changes to report for the 2024 SDRP. If the mapping coordinator has no changes to
report, notify the SDRP team at .

Once all the information is correct and in the proper format, submit this information to the
Census Bureau to complete the Annotation Phase. After processing the Annotation Phase
changes, the Census Bureau will create new materials for review. These new materials are
reviewed as part of the Verification Phase. The mapping coordinator is responsible for
reviewing and confirming the changes that appear in the verification materials and notifying the
Census Bureau if there are any additional changes or corrections.
IMPORTANT:

C.

The Verification Phase is for reviewing changes submitted during the Annotation Phase
and not for submitting new changes.

Types of School District Boundary Updates

There are eleven types of school district updates within the SDRP as noted below in Table 1.
The table includes links to examples of the types of updates and the submission method used
to report them to the Census Bureau.
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Table 1: Types of School District Updates
Type of
Update

Update Description

Link to Examples

Submission
Method

Boundary
Change

Occurs when a school district adds or removes
area from the same school district level or across
school district levels.

Figure 1. Refer to subsections 5.3.1 through
5.3.7 for details.

GUPS

Complex
Consolidation

Occurs when two or more school districts merge
to create a new school district with a new name
and new federal school district local education
agency (SDLEA) ID number, along with additional
boundary changes. Note: The Census Bureau
expects accompanying boundary changes for the
new school district

Figure 2. Refer to subsection 5.3.8 for details

GUPS

Complex
Dissolution

Occurs when a single school district dissolves its
area between two or more existing school
districts, with or without additional boundary
changes. Complex dissolutions do not create new
school districts, and the names and SDLEA ID
numbers of the receiving school districts remain
unchanged.

Figure 3. Refer to subsection 5.3.9 for details.

GUPS

Federal SDLEA
Number ID
Change

Occurs when correcting a SDLEA ID number.

Refer to sub-section 3.3
for details.

Submission
Log

Grade Range
Change

Occurs when a school district changes the grades
it covers; for example, changing from covering
9-12 to 7-12

Refer to sub-section 3.2
for details.

Submission
Log

Level Change

Occurs when a school district changes
classification; for example, changing from
elementary to unified

Refer to sub-section 3.4
for details.

Submission
Log

Name Change

Occurs when a school district changes its name;
for example, changing from Oak Union Unified
School District to Oak Union School District.

Refer to sub-section 3.1
for details.

Submission
Log

New District

Occurs when transferring area from one or more
existing school districts to form a completely new
school district.

Figure 4. Refer to subsection 5.3.10 for details.

GUPS

Pseudo School
District

Occurs when one school district pays for the
educational services for a set of grades in a
different geographic area than its own.

Refer to sub-appendix
A1.

Contact
Census
Bureau

Simple
Consolidation

Occurs when two or more school districts merge
to create a new school district with a new name
and new SDLEA ID number, with no additional
boundary changes.

Figure 5. Refer to subsection 3.5 for details.

Submission
Log

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Type of
Update
Simple
Dissolution

U.S. Census Bureau

Update Description

Occurs when one or more existing school districts
are entirely absorbed by one other existing school
district. Note: Simple dissolutions retain the name
and SDLEA ID number of the receiving school
district, and do not create a new school district.

Link to Examples

Figure 6. Refer to subsection 3.6 for details.

2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Annotation Phase

Submission
Method
Submission
Log

xii

Figure 1: Boundary Change Example (Update Using GUPS)

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Figure 2: Complex Consolidation Example (Update Using GUPS)

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Figure 3: Complex Dissolution Example (Update Using GUPS)

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Figure 4: New District Example (Update Using GUPS)

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Figure 5: Simple Consolidation Example (Update Using the Submission Log)

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Figure 6: Simple Dissolution Example (Update Using the Submission Log)

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D.

Guidance for Boundary Changes

When reviewing school district boundaries, the Census Bureau encourages the mapping
coordinator to focus on updating large changes that affect housing units and population first,
and then move to smaller differences if there is time before the SDRP submission deadline. The
goal of the SDRP is to obtain major changes that affect population rather than small spatial
corrections of boundaries.
The Census Bureau generally does not accept boundary changes of less than 30 feet when the
correction does not affect housing. In remote areas with sparse population, the Census Bureau
considers a difference of 60-75 feet to not be significant if housing units are not present. When
reviewing source boundaries against the Census Bureau’s boundaries, if the source shows a
school district boundary on a road, then use the road as it appears in the Census Bureau’s
shapefile, even if the road does not seem spatially accurate. Road realignments are not
accepted as part of the SDRP.
If there are many spatial corrections of school district boundaries for the state, the Census
Bureau may be able to make these updates outside of the SDRP cycle. Please contact the SDRP
team by phone at 301-763-1099 or by email at .

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PART 1

WHAT IS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT REVIEW PROGRAM
(SDRP)

CHAPTER 1
1.1

OVERVIEW

SDRP Schedule
•

September 2023—Notify the mapping coordinators by email that Annotation Phase materials
are available to download and review.

•

October 2023—Provide free training webinar on responding to the SDRP to mapping
coordinators.

•

December 31, 2023—Deadline for submission of updated school districts. The Census Bureau
strongly encourages mapping coordinators to submit changes as soon as possible rather than
waiting until this deadline.

IMPORTANT:

To participate in the 2024 SDRP Verification Phase, the Census Bureau must receive all
school district updates by December 31, 2023. Contact the SDRP team at
 immediately if there are deadline concerns.

•

April 2024—Review of Verification Phase materials by mapping coordinators.

•

December 2024—Release of preliminary poverty estimates based on the updated school
districts.

1.2

SDRP Annotation Phase Materials

All SDRP materials including GUPS, shapefiles, respondent guides, submission log, and school
district listing files are available for download on the SDRP website:
. Review the Quick
Start Guide and this guide before starting work. These guides explain the guidelines and
reporting tools that apply to the state’s updates.

1.3

SDRP and GUPS Help

The Census Bureau encourages mapping coordinators to contact the SDRP team by phone at
301-763-1099 or by email at  with any questions related to the
program or GUPS. Additionally, valuable information is located on the SDRP website,
.

1.4

Description and Use of Listing Files

The Census Bureau creates four listing files provided in a Microsoft Excel® (.xls) format.
•

Inventory and Grade Range File (All States)

•

County Coverage File (All States)

•

Legal Entity Coextensive Coverage File (Limited States)

•

School District to Geography (SD/GEO) Relationship File (Limited States)

Depending on the state’s school district geography and how the state participates in the SDRP,
some listing files may not be included. The following sub-sections describes each of these
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listings in detail. Appendix B provides greater detail in the form of individual tables that provide
a data dictionary for each of the listing files.

1.4.1

Inventory and Grade Range File (All States)

The Inventory and Grade Range listing file is named “_SD_Inventory_A.xls.” This file lists
the school districts reported to the Census Bureau as of the 2023 SDRP, including the school
district name, SDLEA ID number, level, type, and grade range. Details on this specific listing file
are found in sub-appendix B1.
The official school district name is its legal name including any state-used descriptive wording,
such as "Independent School District", "Consolidated School District", or "Supervisory Union."
The grade ranges included in these files indicate the grade ranges for which each school district
is financially responsible. Use this set of grades, based on financial responsibility, to assign the
data for each child to exactly one school district. For information on financial responsibility see
Appendix A.
Note: The Census Bureau requires complete school district coverage; therefore, the listings may
contain school districts that are not Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3. These are flagged in the listings as
follows: Pseudo (A), Department of Defense (B), Interstate (C), and Bureau of Indian Affairs [BIA]
(D). These files also flag school districts within a state or county that have the same name but
different SDLEA ID numbers with an (E). In these situations, the SDLEA ID numbers are the
means to identify unique school districts that share the same name. See sub-appendix A1 for
more information on pseudo school districts.

1.4.1.1 Submitting Updates to Information in the Inventory and Grade Range File
Carefully review the information contained in this file and provide the Census Bureau with
updates and/or corrections. List the updates to the school district name, SDLEA ID number,
level, type, and grade range in the Submission Log.xls spreadsheet, as described in Chapter 3,
and submit the file using the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM) as described in Chapter 6.
IMPORTANT:

1.4.2

If the mapping coordinator plans to submit more than 25 updates, contact the SDRP
team by phone at 301-763-1099 or by email at  before filling
out the Submission Log.

County Coverage File (All States)

The County Coverage listing file is named "_County_Coverage_A.xls.” This file lists school
districts for each county, sorted by county. There is a separate record for each unique school
district/county combination. Details on this specific listing file are found in sub-appendix B2.
The County Coverage file reflects the boundaries of the 2023 school districts as shown in the
shapefiles and the TIGERweb map viewer. Use this file to locate each school district and to
review the extent of the areas of each school district as they relate to counties.
Carefully review the information contained in this file and provide the Census Bureau with
updates and/or corrections. Specifically review where a school district to county relationship
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should no longer be maintained, or where a new relationship should be created and
maintained.

1.4.3

Legal Entity Coextensive Coverage File (Limited States)

The Legal Entity Coextensive Coverage listing file is named "_Coextensive_Coverage_A.xls."
It is available for Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia because some of their school districts are
coextensive with legal entities such as counties, county equivalents, or incorporated places.
Details on this specific listing file are found in sub-appendix B3.
The Census Bureau maintains these coextensive relationships without the need for states to
submit boundary changes for the listed school districts. All changes to counties, county
equivalents, and incorporated places are obtained through the Census Bureau's Boundary and
Annexation Survey. If the mapping coordinator believes that a legal boundary is incorrect,
please notify the Census Bureau by email at .
Carefully review the information contained in this file and provide the Census Bureau with
updates and/or corrections. Specifically review where a coextensive relationship should no
longer be maintained, or where a new relationship should be created and maintained.

1.4.4

School District to Geography (SD/GEO) Relationship File (Limited States)

In Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, and Vermont, school districts are commonly coextensive with one or more incorporated
places and/or county subdivisions (towns, townships, boroughs, etc.). Review the relationships
listed in the SD/GEO Relationship listing file, “_SD_GEO_Relationship_A.xls”, to ensure that
the state school districts are maintaining the correct relationships with the aforementioned
legal governmental entities.
Like the County Coverage file, this file contains records for each school district/incorporated
place and school district/county subdivision coextensive relationship. It is sorted by SDLEA ID
number for use in reviewing the geographic relationship between the local governments
(towns, townships, boroughs, etc.) and each school district. Details on this specific listing file
are found in sub-appendix B4.
The Census Bureau maintains these relationships without the need for states to submit
boundary changes for the listed school districts. All changes to incorporated places and county
subdivisions are obtained through the Census Bureau's Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS).
If the mapping coordinator believes that a legal boundary is incorrect, notify the Census Bureau
by email at .
Carefully review the information contained in this file and provide the Census Bureau with
updates and/or corrections. Specifically review where a relationship should no longer be
maintained, or where a new relationship should be created and maintained.

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Note: If the SD/GEO Relationship File and/or a Coextensive Coverage files are not available for
download, and there are school districts in the state that are legally coextensive with local
governments, contact the SDRP team by phone at 301-763-1099 or by email at
 for resolution.

1.4.5

Submitting Updates to Information in the “County Coverage,” “Legal Entity
Coextensive Coverage”, and/or “Relationship” Files

Update the individual listing files with all changes, additions, and deletions making clear what
changed by highlighting, changing text color, text bolding, adding, or crossing out the changes.
Zip all the updated listing files into one .zip file and submit it to the Census Bureau using the
SWIM. For more information regarding SWIM, refer to Chapter 6.

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PART 2

HOW TO USE THE TIGERWEB

CHAPTER 2

USING THE TIGERWEB MAP VIEWER FOR THE SDRP

The TIGERweb map viewer is
 and is available for
state and local education officials to review the Census Bureau's 2023 school district
information. In addition to school districts, TIGERweb also offers the ability to view:
•

Roads, highways, and railroads.

•

Rivers, lakes, streams and other “single-line” drainage.

•

Boundaries for legal and statistical geographic entities.

•

Selected special land use areas such as military reservations and national parks.

•

Satellite imagery.

IMPORTANT:

The TIGERweb User Guide is available from the TIGERweb Applications tab. Please utilize
it for comprehensive details that may not be mentioned in this program specific guide.

To summarize the process, the mapping coordinators and other local education officials use the
application to locate each school district and compare their boundary and attribution to a local
source for school districts to determine if there is a need to make any changes. The mapping
coordinator can provide boundary changes to the SDRP if the Census Bureau data does not
correctly depict the school district boundary in effect as of January 1, 2024.
Note: Mapping coordinators, please provide local education officials with these TIGERweb
instructions, which can be downloaded from the 2024 SDRP website under the Annotation
Phase Program Materials hyperlink.

To review the boundary of a school district, users need either the name of the school district or
the seven-digit geographic identification code (i.e., GEOID) for the school district. The GEOID is
in the Inventory and Grade Range File “_SD_Inventory_A.xls.” It is comprised of the twodigit Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) state code for the state in which the
school district is located followed by the five-digit SDLEA ID number assigned to the school
district. TIGERweb uses the GEOID to zoom directly to the school district.
If a local education official determines that changes need to be reported for the 2024 SDRP,
report the changes to a state SDRP mapping coordinator who will submit the changes to the
Census Bureau. The mapping coordinator is the liaison between the state’s Department of
Education and the Census Bureau. Find contact information for mapping coordinators on the
SDRP website: .
IMPORTANT:

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The Census Bureau will not accept school district boundary changes that are submitted
by local education officials or that are annotated on maps printed from TIGERweb. The
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2.1

TIGERweb Basics

Navigate to the main TIGERweb website and select the TIGERweb Applications tab, shown as
the orange tab in Figure 7. The direct link to TIGERweb Applications is
.
On the left side of the screen under the heading TIGERweb Applications, select the first map
service application option, TIGERweb. This option contains the geographic school district
boundary updates for school districts submitted during the 2023 SDRP. Do not select the other
options, TIGERweb Decennial or TIGERweb Economic Census.

Figure 7: TIGERweb Applications Tab from the Main TIGERweb Page

After selecting the TIGERweb option, the application launches showing the default layout with
the map, navigation tools, and other tools displayed (Figure 8).

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Figure 8: TIGERweb Applications–Map Display with Sections and Tools Labeled

2.1.1

Understanding the Main Display Tabs

Along the upper-left side of the window in the main display of the application are the tabs to
select the Layers, Legend, or Task Results (Figure 9).

Figure 9: TIGERweb Applications–Main Display Tabs (Layers, Legend, and Task Results)

Table 2 includes a description for each of the three tabs.

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Table 2: TIGERweb Main Display Tab Symbols and Their Function/Description
Symbol

Function/Description
The Layers tab is the default tab when TIGERweb starts. It allows the user to select the
vintage of data and the data layers to view on the map screen and includes all Census
Bureau geographies in separate map services.
Use it to turn the map layers on and off, change the transparency of individual map layers,
and view the symbology for each map layer. Users can view the relationship between
different geographic areas by selecting the map layers. The number of selectable layers is
unlimited, but each layer has a range of zoom levels in which it will display.
The Legend tab reveals the legend and the layers displayed within the application. At the
national level, the default level that appears when opening TIGERweb Applications, only
the Hydrography and States and Counties layers appear.

For more detail on map layer content, scaling, and symbology, choose the Detailed Legend
link. A graphic of the detailed legend is included below. The Symbol Scales and Label Scales
fields above depict the range of map scales at which the layers and corresponding labels
are available (i.e., can be viewed), hovering the mouse over an individual circle will display
the scale as a representation fraction. Reference Scales portray the relative position of the
scales in the zooming spectrum.

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Symbol

Function/Description
The Task Results tab displays the Identify Results, Query Results, and Geocoder Results
after using other tools within application. The results of each appear beneath the
respective heading. Use the results returned to view attribute information, to search for
geographic entities, and to use the geocode function.

2.1.1.1 Understanding the Layers Tab
The Select Vintage drop-down menu in the Layers tab shows the vintages of TIGERweb
geography that are available for display in the application (Figure 10). Select Current to view
the geographic updates for entities submitted during the 2023 SDRP. Select the ‘+’ sign next to
each map service in the Layers tab to expand the map service and view the layers within it.
Activate the small boxes (check/uncheck) to choose the Transportation, Places and County
Subdivisions, and School Districts map layers.

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Figure 10: Layer Tab Depicting Vintage and Layers to Use in the SDRP

The Layers tab includes legal, administrative, and statistical boundaries as well as roads,
railroads, and hydrography. TIGERweb organizes the layers into separate map services, or
groupings, based on the geographic type. Grouping the layers into a map service instead of
individual layers makes rendering the layers more efficient and reduces the layer drawing time.
The Labels, Hydrography, States, and Counties groupings are enabled by default as shown in
Figure 11.

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Figure 11: Layers Tab–Map Services/Groupings and Defaults

Users expand each by choosing the ‘+’ sign next to the grouping (Figure 12) to see the available
layers beneath that grouping. To minimize the expanded groupings, choose the “-” sign that
replaced the “+.”

Figure 12: Expanding a Grouping to Reveal Map Layers

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To enable, or turn on, a particular grouping or layer within a grouping, select the box next to
the grouping heading (to the left) so that a checkmark appears in the box (Figure 13). Disable,
or turn off, the grouping by removing the checkmark.

Figure 13: Enabled Groupings (Turned-On/Visible in Map Display)

Note: States are viewable for all zoom levels. Other layers are visible only at certain zoom levels.
Additional data layer options, with a greater level of detail, are available when zoomed in closer
on the map. If a specific layer does not appear in the legend, zoom in or out on the map for the
feature to appear.

Users can limit the amount of data on the map by enabling only the desired layers. For
example, to view boundaries representing Incorporated Places within the Places and County
Subdivisions grouping, disable, or turn off, the other types for place geographies by unchecking
the box to the left of the feature type. Figure 14 shows only the Incorporated Places feature
type checked. If TIGERweb has the layers enabled, the user must uncheck the layers if they do
not want these layers to display.

Figure 14: Expanded Grouping and Layers with Slider Tool

When multiple layers are displayed on a map simultaneously, one layer may obscure another.
To allow one layer to be more prominent than another, the transparency of the layer can be
adjusted by using the slider, which is available once the layer is expanded by selecting the plus
sign [+] left of the layer name. Move the slide bar, shown just beneath the grouping name, to
the left or right to adjust the transparency of the selected layer on the map.

2.2

TIGERweb Tools and Functions

This portion of the guide highlights the tools and functionality useful for the SDRP. For detailed
content, refer to section 1.3 in the TIGERweb User Guide.
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2.2.1

Navigating the Map Display

The features and geographic areas do not immediately appear because each layer has a range
of zoom levels at which it will display. In other words, visibility is scale dependent. More details
appear in the map display when zooming in on the map.
At Zoom level 6, counties appear; at Zoom level 7, school districts and primary roads with their
labels begin to appear; at Zoom level 9, places, county subdivisions, and census tract
boundaries appear; and at Zoom level 14 most of the features that would assist with
conducting a school district review, i.e., local roads, railroads, etc. appear. The current Zoom
level displays on the Scale bar in the lower left of the Map display.
Use the Zoom scrollbar tool located on the vertical Scale Bar, shown on the left of the map
display, to see more detail on the map or to see less detail. Select the ‘+’ to zoom in or select
the ‘-’ to zoom out. Also, zoom in or out by rolling the wheel on a computer mouse. All the tools
involving the map display are described in Table 3.
Table 3: TIGERweb Tools Involving the Map Display
Map Element (Tool)

Description
Open/Close Menus
Permits the user to display (open) or hide (close) the left-hand taskbar of
Layers, Legend, and Task Results. Hiding the taskbar allows for more map
to display.
Find My Location
With permission to allow TIGERweb to know your location, TIGERweb
determines the computer’s location using the IP address and zooms to
the corresponding location in the map display to assist with searches in
the user’s local area.

Default Extent
Returns to the original map extent before panning and/or zooming.

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Map Element (Tool)

Description
Clear Map
Clears all previous map selections.

Zoom Scrollbar
Use to adjust the zoom level of the map display.
• Select the plus sign (+) to zoom in for more detail.
• Use the minus sign (-) to zoom out for less detail.
• Dragging the control up and down the slider will increase and
decrease the amount of detail on the map in the same fashion as
the + or – signs.
Users may also zoom in or out using by the scroll wheel on their computer
mouse.
Scale Bar
Shows the scale of the current map display. Users monitor the current
zoom level of the map display.
Current Extent (degs)
Provides the latitude and longitude coordinates in decimal degrees for
the lower left map corner (solid black arrow) and the latitude and
longitude of the upper right corner (striped arrow).

2.2.2

Changing the Map Display Background

The map background in TIGERweb is handled by the Basemap Selection button (Figure 15).
There are three background options (landmass, satellite imagery, and terrain) programmed for
the button. The map display defaults to Terrain.

Figure 15: Basemap Selection Button
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To switch the background option, continue to select the Basemap Selection button, observing
the instruction while hovering the mouse over the button. The hover message informs the user
of the current display and what the display will be upon switching to the next choice. After
locating and zooming into an entity, select the Basemap Selection button (Figure 16) until the
Satellite option appears and imagery overlays the entity. This dual view allows users to see the
relationship between the location of a boundary in the Census Bureau’s file to the location of
real-world features such as roads. Additional information on this functionality is in section 1.3.2
of the TIGERweb User Guide.

Figure 16: Basemap Selection Button with Satellite Option

2.2.3

Identifying Features in the Map Display

The Identify tool allows the user to discover more information about a selected feature on the
map The Identify tool shows attribute information only for enabled (turned on in the Layer tab)
map services and visible layers. Use of this tool may be helpful to determine the feature that
serves as a boundary of an existing school district or may be useful to confirm the attribution of
a school district.
To use the tool, select the Identify tool at the top of right of the map display (Figure 17) and use
the mouse to select an area on the map or feature to identify. When selecting, its area on the
map highlights. The Identify Results section (left portion of Figure 18) shows all results for the
selection. Select any of the results to get attribute information about the area or feature.
Additional information on this functionality is in section 1.3.5 of the TIGERweb User Guide.

Figure 17: Identify Tool Button

For a SDRP example, follow the steps below to use the Identify tool to get attribute data for the
Fairfield School District adjacent to the Bridgeport School District.
1. Choose the Identify tool. The mouse cursor changes from a pointer to the ‘+’ (crosshair).
2. Use the left mouse button to select inside the boundary of Fairfield School District.
3. Choosing Fairfield School District, CT from the Identify Results section displays the attributes
about the school district including grade range, land area, and water areas (right side of
Figure 18).
4. Many other results appear in the Identify Results section because of the layers that are
associated with the selection. For this example, the TIGERweb is returning results for the States
and Counties, School Districts, and Transportation map services.

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Figure 18: Identify Results and Attribute Information Windows

2.2.4

Locating a School District

TIGERweb allows users to quickly locate an entity visually using the Zoom scrollbar or by using
the Query tool (Figure 19) to search for a school district by its name or unique GEOID.
Additional details on the Query tool are found in section 1.3.6 of the TIGERweb User Guide.

Figure 19: Query Tool Button

Figure 20 shows the resulting Query tool window that appears after selecting the button.

Figure 20: Query Tool Window
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Select the Query tool from the toolbar. Select the Attribute tab from the Query tool window.
From the Select Map drop-down menu, choose one of the following map services:
•

States and Counties to locate a county.

•

Places and County Subdivisions to locate a city, town, or township.

•

School Districts to locate a unified, secondary, or elementary school district.

Key the GEOID, located in the Inventory and Grade Range Listing (SD_Inventory.xls), in the
Enter GEOID of Feature box or type all or part of its name in the Enter Name of Feature box.
Enter a GEOID or a Name, but not both. Searching by unique GEOID will take users directly to
the entity. Searching by Name could produce a list of school districts with the same or similar
name.
Follow the steps below to locate unified school district West Prairie Community Unit School
District 103, Illinois with GEOID 1700314.
1. Select the Query tool and the Attribute tab.
2. From the Select Map drop-down menu, choose School Districts (Figure 21).
3. From the Select Layer(s) drop-down menu, choose Unified School Districts then enter 1700314
in the GEOID field (Figure 22).
4. Choose SUBMIT to search for the unified school district.

Figure 21: Query Tool–Attribute Tab–Select Map

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Figure 22: Query Tool–Query by GEOID

TIGERweb displays the query results under the Task Results tab to the left of the map
(Figure 23).

Figure 23: Task Results Tab with Query Results

TIGERweb also displays the Info panel containing attribute data for the entity (Figure 24) in a
separate window. Minimize or close the Info panel by selecting the ‘-’ or ‘x’ symbol in the top
right of the Info panel.

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Figure 24: Query Results–Info Panel

Select the name of the result listed under the Unified School Districts heading of Query Results
and TIGERweb will display the school district highlighted in the center of the map display
(Figure 25). To start a new Query, select Clear Map (the ‘X’) above the Zoom scrollbar. The
Query window reappears, and the located entity is no longer highlighted.

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Figure 25: Map Display with Query Results

Follow the steps below to locate a school district named Bridgeport in Connecticut without
knowing its school district level.
1. Select the Query tool.
2. From the Select Map drop-down menu, choose School Districts.
3. From the Select Layer(s) drop-down menu, hold down the Control or Shift Key and choose
Unified, Secondary, and Elementary. All three will display as highlighted (Figure 26) then enter
Bridgeport in the Enter Name of Feature box.
4. Choose SUBMIT to search.

Figure 26: Query Tool–Query by Name

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Searching by name could produce a list of school districts with the same or similar names, as
shown in Figure 27; however, the results will include the state in which the entity is located to
help choose the correct school district.

Figure 27: Query by Name Results

TIGERweb displays the selected entity highlighted in the center of the map display along with
the Info panel containing attribute data for the entity. Minimize or close the Info panel to view
the entire map and Query Results section (Figure 28).

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Figure 28: Map Display with Query Results

After using the Query tool to locate a school district, users can compare the TIGERweb map of
the school district to a local source for the school district boundary. Provide boundary and/or
attribute update information to the state mapping coordinator if the TIGERweb map does not
correctly depict the school district boundary shown in a local source. Mapping coordinators
prepare all school district updates for their respective states, following details in part 2 and/or 3
of this guide, and submit the updates to the Census Bureau as described in part 5.

2.2.5

Printing and Saving a Map

TIGERweb has the functionality to save maps, print paper maps, or capture screen images of
the areas where the boundary requires an update or annotate changes. This functionality is
useful for a local education official to indicate to the mapping coordinator where a school
district boundary change is needed. The local official can capture a screen image and annotate
the change for the mapping coordinator to approve and submit to the Census Bureau.
Using the Print tool button from the upper right of the map display (Figure 29) opens the Print
window (Figure 30). A table with detailed instructions for the options available in this window is
found in section 1.3.7 of the TIGERweb User Guide.

Figure 29: Print Tool Button

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Figure 30: Print Tool Window

As a reminder, the Census Bureau will not accept boundary changes for the SDRP submitted
directly to the Census Bureau annotated on maps printed using the TIGERweb map viewer.

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PART 3

HOW TO USE THE SUBMISSION LOG

CHAPTER 3

USING THE SUBMISSION LOG FOR THE SDRP

The submission log is an Excel spreadsheet used to report nonspatial and simple school district
updates. It is available for download on the SDRP website within the annotation section
. Record each type of
acceptable school district change as a separate record in the submission log.
The Census Bureau requires the use of the submission log for the following seven change types:
•

School district name.

•

Grade range.

•

Federal SDLEA ID number.

•

Level.

•

Simple consolidations.

•

Simple dissolutions.

•

Simple spatial update using whole MCDs or incorporated places.

Note: Not all of the fields in the submission log are displayed in the examples in this chapter.

3.1

School District Name Change

A school district name change is usually a result of a misspelling or legal school district name
change. Figure 31 shows an example of the fields requiring information. They are the Type of
Change, County(s) FIPS code(s), SDLEA of Change, Old Name, and New Name fields. Contact the
SDRP team at  if seeking to submit more than 25 name changes.

Figure 31: Example of a School District Name Change

3.2

Grade Range Change

A grade range change is the result of an incorrect grade range previously reported to the
Census Bureau or a new change (e.g., changing from Kindergarten to Pre-Kindergarten). Gaps
and overlaps in grade range coverage cannot exist. Grade range changes require information in
the Type of Change, County(s) FIPS code(s), SDLEA of Change, Old Grade Range Low, Old Grade
Range High, New Grade Range Low, and New Grade Range High fields (Figure 32). Contact the
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SDRP team at  if seeking to submit more than 25 grade range
changes.

Figure 32: Example of a School District Grade Range Change

3.3

Federal SDLEA ID Number Change

Federal SDLEA ID number changes include a correction to an SDLEA ID number. SDLEA ID
number changes require information in the Type of Change, County(s) FIPS code(s), SDLEA of
Change, Old SDLEA (same as SDLEA of Change), and New SDLEA fields (Figure 33).

Figure 33: Example of a Federal SDLEA ID Number Change

3.4

Level Change

A level change occurs when a school district changes classification; for example, changing from
elementary to unified. Level changes require information in the Type of Change, SDLEA of
Change, Old Level, and New Level fields (Figure 34).

Figure 34: Example of a Level Change

3.5

Simple Consolidation

A simple consolidation occurs when two or more school districts merge, or consolidate, to
create a new school district with a new name and new SDLEA ID number. There are no
additional boundary changes.
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Simple consolidations require information in the Type of Change, County(s) FIPS code(s), New
Name, New Grade Range Low, New Grade Range High, New Level, Consolidation 1 SDLEA
(SDLEA ID number of first school district being merged), Consolidation 2 SDLEA (SDLEA ID
number of other school district being merged), Consolidation New SDLEA (SDLEA ID number of
newly formed school district, if known; otherwise place “unknown” in this field), and
Narrative/Description fields (Figure 35).
Note: The fields for Consolidation 3 SDLEA and Consolidation 4 SDLEA only require information if three
or more school districts are consolidating (merging). If five or more school districts are
consolidating, enter the remaining SDLEA ID numbers on the next row starting in the
Consolidation SDLEA field.

Figure 35: Example of a Simple Consolidation

3.6

Simple Dissolution

A simple dissolution occurs when one or more existing school districts entirely dissolve(s) into
one other existing school district. A simple dissolution never results in the creation of a new
school district. The receiving school district retains its name and SDLEA ID number.
Note: A separate entry is required for each school district that dissolves into the existing school district
through this change.

Simple dissolutions require information in the Type of Change, County(s) FIPS code(s), SDLEA of
Change (SDLEA ID number of school district that is gaining area), Added Area SDLEA (same as
SDLEA of Change), Deleted SDLEA (SLDEA ID number of school district being dissolved), and
Narrative/Description (include county/counties FIPS code(s)) and if applicable, the Old Grade
Range Low, Old Grade Range High, New Grade Range Low, New Grade Range High, Old Level,
and New Level fields
(Figure 36).

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Figure 36: Example of a Simple Dissolution

Note: Complex consolidations, complex dissolutions, and boundary changes all require updates using
GUPS. Review Chapter 5 to learn how to complete these types of updates.

3.7

Simple Spatial Update Using Whole MCDs or Incorporated Places

A simple spatial update occurs when the area that is being added to a school district is also an
existing minor civil division (MCD) or incorporated place in the Census Bureau’s data. Simple
spatial updates can include a change to the boundary of an existing school district or the
creation of a new district. These updates may be submitted using the Submission Log since
whole geographies are being moved to the school district. If preferred, these simple spatial
updates may also be submitted in GUPS.
Simple spatial updates involving school district boundary changes, shown in Figure 37, require
information in the Type of Change, County(s) FIPS code(s), Added Area SDLEA, Lost Area SDLEA,
and Narrative/Description fields. The Narrative/Description field must contain the MCD(s) or
incorporated place(s) that are being added to the school district.

Figure 37: Example of a Simple Spatial Update–Boundary Change

Simple spatial updates involving the creating of a new school district, shown in Figure 38,
require information in the Type of Change, County(s) FIPS code(s), New Name, New GR Low,
New GR High, New Level, New SDLEA and Narrative/Description. The Narrative/Description
field must contain the MCD(s) or incorporated place(s) that make up the new school district.

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Figure 38: Example of a Simple Spatial Update–New District

Once all updates are complete in the submission log, zip the file and submit it to the Census
Bureau following instructions outlined in Chapter 6. Proceed to the next part of the guide to
learn more about using GUPS for the SDRP.

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PART 4

HOW TO USE THE GEOGRAPHIC UPDATE
PARTNERSHIP SOFTWARE (GUPS)

CHAPTER 4

GETTING STARTED

GUPS is available for download on the SDRP website within the annotation section
. It operates using
QGIS (formerly known as Quantum Geographic Information System (GIS)), a free and opensource desktop geographic information system application. To learn more about QGIS visit
.
This part of the guide includes information needed to use GUPS. It offers a description of the
software and gives specific instructions (in the form of Step-Action/Result tables) on using GUPS
to make SDRP updates.
Chapter 4:
•

Lists the hardware and software requirements for GUPS.

•

Provides instructions for installation.

Chapter 5:

4.1

•

Provides instructions to open GUPS and start a new SDRP project.

•

Explains the GUPS interface.

•

Gives instructions to make required and optional updates.

•

Provides instructions to share and export Zip files.

Hardware and Software Requirements

GUPS was developed for use on a desktop PC or a network environment. Before beginning the
installation, ensure that the computer used meets the minimum hardware and operating
system requirements listed in Table 4.
Table 4: GUPS Hardware and Operating System Requirements
Hardware/Operating System

Requirement

Hardware: Minimum Disk Space to Install and
Run GUPS

4 GB

Hardware: Disk Space to Store Shapefiles

Varies by state

Hardware: Minimum Random-Access Memory
(RAM) to Run GUPS

4 GB

Hardware: Recommended RAM to Run GUPS

8 GB or more for optimal performance

Operating System: Windows®

Windows 8 or Windows 10

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Hardware/Operating System

Requirement

Operating System: Apple®

Mac OS X users must secure a license for Microsoft
Windows and use a Windows bridge. The suggested bridge
software is Boot Camp, which comes pre-installed on all
Mac computers. See instructions for using Boot Camp at
.
Note: Since Boot Camp requires a restart of the computer
to set up the bridge, be sure to print the instructions
provided at the URL above before beginning installation.

Note: The windows that appear in GUPS may vary based on operating system. Screenshots in this
guide were created using Windows 10. As a result, the screenshots that feature GUPS actions
may differ slightly from what someone using Windows 8 or Boot Camp would see.

4.2

Download and Install GUPS

To complete the installation, follow the steps in Table 5.
Note: If an older version of GUPS exists on the computer, the installer will automatically remove the
old version before it installs the latest version.
Table 5: Steps to Download and Install GUPS
Step

Action and Result
Many agencies/organizations require certain security privileges to download and install external
software. Work with the local Information Technology (IT) staff person to acquire those
privileges or ask they assist with GUPS installation. Please note that GUPS users with different
security privileges than the IT staff person that installed the software will encounter problems
accessing the directories and plugins needed to operate GUPS if the software is not installed
under the user’s profile. To correct this, have the IT staff person reinstall GUPS under the user’s
profile using the user’s credentials. If installation problems remain, contact the SDRP team at
 for installation assistance.

Step 1

Download GUPS from the Annotation Phase Program Materials (census.gov) page on the SDRP
website and unzip the downloaded .zip file. Double-click the left mouse button on the file named
SETUP-.bat.
Note: Regardless of the version number, there will be only one SETUP.bat file to choose.

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Step

Action and Result
A Welcome to QGIS 3.4.4-Madeira window appears allowing users to import previous settings
used into the default profile. Users may choose to import their settings or to have a clean start.
Select the desired options and choose Let’s get started.

Step 2

When the installer opens, the Welcome to the QGIS Setup Wizard screen appears.

Step 3

Before proceeding, close all other programs or applications. Once other programs and
applications are closed, select the Next button.
For users with QGIS 3.4.4 already installed, select the Cancel button on the QGIS 3.4.4 Setup
screen in Step 5 to update GUPS without reinstalling QGIS 3.4.4. The setup will bypass the QGIS
installation and immediately begin to update the GUPS plugin supported for this year’s SDRP.
This is only applicable for existing installations of QGIS 3.4.4.

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Step

Action and Result
The License Agreement screen appears.

Step 4

Read the license agreement and select the I Agree button to continue.
The Choose Install Location screen opens. For performance and stability, install the application
at the default: (i.e., C:\QGIS344). Otherwise, use the Browse button to navigate to a preferred
location.

Step 5

To begin the installation, select Next to continue.

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Step

Action and Result
The Choose Components screen opens.

Step 6

‘QGIS’ in the Select components to install field is checked and grayed out since it is the default.
Simply select Install to continue. To review a previous screen or reread the license agreement,
select the  for assistance.

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Step

Action and Result
In the Map Management window, use the drop-down menu next to the Program field to select
School District Review Program and then select School District Review by State for the Sub
Program field.

Step 4

In the State field, use the drop-down menu to select a state. Use the scroll bar to move up and
down the list of states. This example uses Illinois.

Step 5

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Step

Action and Result
After selecting a state, GUPS refreshes the Map Management window and automatically
highlights all available counties for the state of Illinois. Select Open.

Step 6

The Select Data Folder, Directory or Location window opens.

Step 7

GUPS only prompts for a data download location once per project. When a project has been
closed and reopened, the shapefiles automatically load, even if no changes were made during
the first session.
A secondary Map Management window appears to select the data source. From this secondary
Map Management window, choose Census Web to download the shapefile data layers with
preset symbology and labels directly into GUPS.

Step 8

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Step

Action and Result
When Census Web is chosen, the shapefiles for the state begin to load with a progress bar
displaying the percentage of the upload completed.

Step 9

Step 10

GUPS unzips and copies the files to the GUPS home directory then loads them into the
application. Once loaded, the Table of Contents populates and symbolizes according to preset
styles. The Map View fills with the working state. The Menu Bar and Toolbars appear along the
top and the Status Bar appears at the bottom of the screen. See Figure 39 for a visual
representation of the default layout.

Follow the steps in Table 7 to properly save and close a project.
Table 7: Steps to Save and Close a Project
Step

Action and Result
To save a project, use the Save button on the Standard toolbar. To ensure no work is lost, save after
each major action or series of updates.

The Current edits window asks to save current changes for all layer(s).

Step 1

Select Yes to save the changes or No to return to the map.
Note: Participants may also use the Save option beneath the Project tab on the Menu bar to save
the project.

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Step

Action and Result
To discard changes, close the application by selecting the red X in the upper right-hand corner of the
main GUPS page. A Save? window prompts with a warning and options to either save, discard, or
cancel.

Step 2

Select Discard to close GUPS and discard changes. GUPS will not save the current project.

Table 8 details how to open a previously saved project.
Table 8: Steps to Open a Saved Project
Step

Action and Result
To reopen a saved project, expand the menu beneath the Open Recent button in the Map
Management window. The drop-down list provides a list of current projects created using GUPS to
reopen.

Step 1

When a recent project file is chosen, the map for the project automatically loads and the layers
appear in the Table of Contents.

Step 2

5.2

GUPS Menus and Toolbars

Figure 39 shows the layout of the main page for GUPS. This page contains all the tools needed
for making updates in the SDRP. Shown in the figure are the main page elements.

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Figure 39: GUPS Main Page Elements and Default Layout

Refer to Table 9 for high-level information about the elements that comprise the main page
once GUPS is opened. Detailed descriptions and functions of menus, sub-menus, and toolbars is
in Appendix E.
Table 9: GUPS Main Page Elements and Their Function/Description
Page
Element

Function/Description

Menu Bar

Permits access to QGIS and GUPS features using a standard hierarchical menu. Offers basic
features such as Settings and Help; tools to manage the Map View. Almost all functions available
in Menu bar are available in toolbars. Refer to sub-appendix E1 for more details.

Standard
Toolbar

Provides navigation functions and other tools needed to interact with the Map View and layers.
Refer to sub-appendix E2 for more details.

SDRP
Toolbar

Provides tools specific to the SDRP. See sub-section 5.2.1 below for descriptions of the buttons.

Map View

Displays the default data layers for the SDRP. Reflects the colors and symbology of layers in the
Table of Contents.

Table of
Contents

Depicts the layers in the Map View. Layers have been pre-styled and arranged for optimal use as
part of the Census Web option. However, layers can be managed by manipulating the visibility
(i.e., check/uncheck the layer) or reorganized using tools from the Table of Contents toolbar that
appears at the top of the Table of Contents. Refer to sub-appendix E3 for more details.

Status Bar

Displays information on the coordinates, map scale, magnification, rotation, and projection.
Allows for adjustment of the display. Refer to sub-appendix E4 for more details.

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5.2.1

Introducing the SDRP Toolbar

The SDRP toolbar, shown in Figure 40, provides the program-specific functions needed to
complete the SDRP review and update activities, as well as to import and export zipped
shapefiles.

Figure 40: SDRP Toolbar

Each toolbar button function is described in Table 10.
Table 10: SDRP Toolbar Buttons and Their Function/Description
Button

U.S. Census Bureau

Name

Function/Description

Add Linear Feature

Add a new linear feature to denote a new school district
boundary. See sub-section 5.3.5 for an example of adding a
linear feature.

Delete Linear Feature

Delete a linear feature. In SDRP GUPS, only user-added
features are eligible for deletion. See sub-section 5.3.6 for
examples of deleting a linear feature.

Modify Area Feature

Make updates to school districts (Boundary Change,
Complex Consolidations, Complex Dissolutions and New
District, etc.). See sub-section 5.2.2 for more information.

Show/Hide Legend

Shows or hides the legend (e.g., Table of Contents). It may
be helpful to close the legend to make more screen space
for the Map View.

Scale Bar Tool

Permits the selection of units of measure to display in the
scale bar as well as the color of the scale bar to display in
the Map View.

Load/Unload County
Reference Layer

Permits loading and unloading of county-level reference
layers into the SDRP project for any county within the
state. This button permits loading of Census Bureau spatial
layers for the selected county(s). Reference layers (e.g.,
roads, railroads, area landmarks, water, etc.) are required
to be loaded before most school district updates may be
made. When using Unload County Reference Layer, the
data is removed from the project but not the computer.
See sub-sections 5.3.2 and 5.3.3 for detailed instructions.

Remove County
Reference Layer

Removes a loaded county reference layer from the project
and deletes the data from the computer. Participants use
this button when they determine they no longer need to
reference the county level data. Once a county is removed,
users would use the Load/Unload County Reference Layer
button to load the county-reference layers back into the
project.

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Button

Name

Function/Description

Geography Review Tool

Review the attribute table for layers that exist in the Table
of Contents. Refer to sub-section 5.4.2 for details.

Review Change
Polygons

Review change polygons in a layer and make corrections.
Refer to sub-section 5.4.3 for details.

SDRP Criteria Review
Tool

Review potential criteria data errors and informational
warnings. Refer to sub-section 5.4.1 for details.

Import State Zip

Imports another user’s “DataDirectory” output .zip file for
review or editing by another person. GUPS generates
this .zip file as part of the Export to Zip–Share with Another
Participant option. This file is the whole state’s SDRP
project and cannot be used if the same project is open in
GUPS.
This button will not work if the same project is open. As an
alternative, use the Import Project Zip file button on the
Map Management window prior to opening any project.
Includes two export options: Export for Census and Share
with Another Participant. Refer to sub-section 5.5 for
details on both options.

Export to Zip

Use Export for Census option to create the .zip file of the
SDRP project that contains all required data for submission
to the Census Bureau.
Use Share with Another Participant option to share work
with others.

U.S. Census Bureau

Export Map to Print

Export a printable map in .pdf, .png, .tif, or jpeg format.

Internet Map Service

Opens a GIS map service from the internet (i.e., Google
Maps® or Bing Maps®) after selecting a point in the Map
View. The intent of this tool is to provide visual assistance
from an external source. An internet connection is
required for this button to function.

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Button

Name

Function/Description

TIGERweb Map Service

Permits loading of Census Bureau spatial data from the
TIGERweb Web Map Service (WMS). The selected data
layers load into the Table of Contents of the project. To
remove the loaded layers, relaunch the button and
uncheck the selected layers.

Because of the Load/Unload County Reference Layer
button, users may not find this button necessary.
Add Imagery/Remove
Imagery

Adds imagery to the SDRP project. The imagery loads near
the bottom of the Table of Contents, so it underlies other
layers. The button adds Esri imagery.
Remove imagery by using the same button. It will change
to include a red negative symbol, or users can remove
imagery by using the mouse to right-click on the imagery
layer in the Table of Contents.

5.2.2

Describing the SDRP Toolbar’s Modify Area Feature Tool

The Modify Area Feature tool (Figure 41) contains the functionality used to make most
geographic and attribute updates during the SDRP. Once open, the Modify Area Feature tool
becomes active upon selecting a Geography (a school district level including Elementary,
Secondary, or Unified) and an Action (Boundary Change, Complex Consolidation, Complex
Dissolution, or New District). The Modify Area Feature tool displays all school districts for the
selected school district geography in the target layer list. The target layer list consists of the
state, SDLEA, and school district name located under the State and Info columns. School
districts can be identified in the Map View from the info list in one of two ways:
•

A single left-click of the mouse on a school district highlights the district on the map but does
not zoom to that school district.

•

A double left-click of the mouse both highlights and zooms to the full geographic extent of the
selected school district in the Map View.

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Figure 41: Modify Area Feature Tool

Table 11 describes each button in the Modify Area Feature tool and their function or
description.
Table 11: Modify Area Feature Tool Buttons and Their Function/Description
Button

Name

Function/Description

Select Target Layer

Selects a target area (school district) by left-clicking the mouse
on the map rather than selecting from the Modify Area Feature
tool info list.

Select Feature(s)

Selects faces. This button allows the selection of individual faces
and multiple faces by polygon, freehand, radius, and by
geography. This button is vital to making corrections or updates,
so review sub-section 5.2.2.1 for more details and examples of
its use.

Add Area

Adds selected area to the chosen geography based on the
desired action.

Remove Area

Removes selected area from the chosen geography.
Note: This action is only available if completing a boundary
change for secondary school district geography.

U.S. Census Bureau

Previous/Next NonContiguous Area

Cycles through non-contiguous areas.

Add New District

Creates a new school district based on chosen geography.

Change Attributes

Opens editable attributes dialog window for selected target
layer.

Remove Area Feature

This tool is disabled and not used during the SDRP.

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5.2.2.1 Using the Select Feature(s) Button in the Modify Area Feature Tool
The Select Feature(s) button provides several methods to select faces to make changes to
school districts. Table 12 describes each of the feature selection methods.
Table 12: Steps to Use the Select Feature(s) Button
Step

Action and Result
After selecting the geography, action, and target area in the Modify Area Feature window, use
the Select Feature(s) button to highlight the school district faces to update. There are five
feature selection methods: Select Feature(s), Select Features by Polygon, Select Features by
Freehand, Select Features by Radius, and Select Features by Geography. In addition, there is an
option to deselect the selection.

Step 1

To select faces or polygons one at a time, choose the Select Feature(s) option. Left-click the
mouse on the face to update. The selected face turns yellow (color may vary).

Step 2

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Step

Action and Result
To select more than one face hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard while left-clicking the
mouse on the additional face. This method is useful when selecting noncontiguous faces, as
shown below.

Step 3

To select multiple features, select the Select Feature(s) button, then drag the cursor over the
features on the map. This method is useful when selecting a large number of contiguous faces.
The second option, Select Features by Polygon, selects features through a polygon drawn
around the features on the map. To use this feature, select it in the drop-down menu then
follow the steps below.

Step 4

To use this option, left-click the mouse on the map to begin drawing the polygon. Drag the
cursor to extend the line, left-click the mouse again to extend the line in a new direction. To
complete the selection, right-click the mouse. Faces that either cross or are contained within the
selection polygon will be highlighted in yellow.

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Step

Action and Result
Select Features by Freehand selects features based on user-defined shapes drawn on the map.

Step 5

To use this option, choose a spot on the map and use the cursor to draw any shape (polygon,
triangle, circle, etc.). Features that either cross or are contained within the selection area will be
highlighted in yellow.
Select Features by Radius selects features by defining a circle around the features to select.

Step 6

To use this tool, left-click the mouse on the map, then hold down the mouse and drag the cursor
outward to expand the circle. Release the mouse when done. The feature(s) selected is (are)
highlighted in yellow.
Select Features by Geography selects all the faces contained in a geographic entity. It is possible
that changes to school districts will be made based on existing Census Bureau geography. For
example, creating a new school district based on an incorporated place. For that example,
instead of selecting each face, use of the Select by Geography tool will select all the faces of the
chosen geography at once.
Step 7

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Step

Action and Result
After choosing Select Features by Geography, the Select by Geography layer window opens. This
window can be docked in the project for ease of continued use.

Step 8

Selecting a layer from the Select by Geography layer window activates the geography for that
layer and limits the selection of features to that geography. In this example, all faces of an
incorporated place are selected for inclusion in a new elementary school district.
Select Incorporated Place from the Select by Geography layer window.

Step 9

Ensure the visibility for the Incorporated Place layer is turned on in the Table of Contents.

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Step

Action and Result
Zoom to La Harpe city.

Step 10

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Step

Action and Result
With the Select by Geography tool active, left-click the mouse on any of the faces inside La
Harpe city. The Select by Geography tool selects (highlights yellow) all faces.
Note: There may be a lag between when the geography/faces are chosen and when GUPS
completes the selection. This is common when selecting large geography/school district areas
that contain many faces. If there is a noticeable lag, this generally indicates that GUPS is still
processing the selecting faces.

Step 11

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Step

Action and Result
From the Modify Area Feature window, select the Add New District button.

Step 12

U.S. Census Bureau

Fill in attributes for the new school district and select Ok.

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Step

Action and Result
All faces of the incorporated place of La Harpe city are now included in the La Harpe City
Elementary School District.

Step 13

Deselect Features from All Layers deselects all highlighted faces on the map.

Step 14

5.3

SDRP Updates Using GUPS

The tables in this sub-chapter provide instructions for making SDRP updates using GUPS. The
examples in this section begin with a new project for the state of Illinois. While the examples
use real data, all changes are fictitious. They are for illustration only and do not indicate any
actual geographic changes.

5.3.1

Boundary Change Basics

Boundary changes can include whole faces or split faces if the whole area of a selected face is
not needed in the boundary change.

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When making boundary changes using GUPS, keep the following in mind:
•

Load the county reference layers first.

•

Which school district is the target district (i.e., the one adding area), and if it is a(n) elementary,
secondary, or unified school district?

•

Which school is losing area, and if it is a(n) elementary, secondary, or unified district?

•

Do faces need to be split to support boundary changes?

5.3.2

Load County Reference Layers

Follow the steps in Table 13 to load county reference layers to support new boundary changes.
Table 13: Steps to Load County Reference Layers
Step

Action and Result
In the SDRP toolbar, select the Load/Unload County Reference Layer button.

Step 1

From the county list, select Hancock [17067] with a checkmark.

Step 2

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Step

Action and Result
From the Select Data Folder, Directory or Location, select Census Web and then select Ok.

Step 3

GUPS will begin to download the selected county. When the download completes, GUPS adds
the country reference layers to the project. To confirm that county reference layers have been
added, expand the edges group layer in the Table of Contents.

Step 4

5.3.3

Unload County Reference Layers

County reference layers in a project can be unloaded using the Unload County Reference Layers
tool. This tool can be used if the number of loaded counties is starting to affect GUPS
performance, or for counties that are no longer needed.

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Note: Unloading county reference layers does not delete data from the computer. The county
reference layer shapefiles still exist in the GUPSGIS home directory and can be reloaded, if
needed.

Follow steps in Table 14 to unload county reference layers.
Table 14: Steps to Unload County Reference Layers
Step

Action and Result
In the SDRP toolbar, select the Load/Unload County Reference Layer button.

Step 1

From the county list, loaded counties will appear first in the list and highlighted in cyan. To
unload the county, uncheck the checkbox. Then select Ok.

Step 2

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Step

Action and Result
To confirm that the county reference layers have been unloaded, review the edges group layer
in the Table of Contents. In this example, the edges group layer is no longer expandable
confirming that the reference layers have been unloaded.

Step 3

5.3.4

Boundary Change Using Whole Faces

Follow the steps in Table 15 to add whole faces to an existing school district to complete a
boundary change.
Table 15: Steps to Make a Boundary Change Using Whole Faces
Step

Action and Result
Begin by selecting the Modify Area Feature button from the SDRP toolbar.

Step 1

In this example, there is a boundary change between two elementary school districts, and the
line that will be used as the new boundary already exists in the Census Bureau data. Whole faces
from La Harpe Community School District are added to Carthage Elementary School District.
In the Modify Area Feature window, use the mouse to select the drop-down arrow next to the
Geography menu. In this example, choose Elementary School District. Select Boundary Change
from the Action menu.
Step 2

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Step

Action and Result
When the Geography is chosen, the Modify Area Feature window populates with the list of
available elementary school districts with the state and SDLEA ID number displayed for each
district. The list is sorted alphabetically by school district name.

Step 3

From the Modify Area Feature table list, select 01385–Carthage Elementary School District 317.

Step 4

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Step

Action and Result
After the selection, the Modify Area Feature window highlights the school district in the Map
View. A single left-click of the mouse highlights the school district. Double-clicking the left mouse
button zooms to the extent of 01385–Carthage Elementary School District 317.

Step 5

Using the Zoom button in the Standard toolbar, zoom to the following area where the change
will occur.

Step 6

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Step

Action and Result
From the Modify Area Feature window, select the Select Feature(s) button.

Step 7

On the map, left-click the mouse to select the following three faces from 01381–La Harpe
Community School District 347. To select multiple faces, hold down the CTRL button on the
keyboard while continuing to click the mouse. With each click of the mouse the face highlights in
yellow to indicate an active selection.

Step 8

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Step

Action and Result
Click the Add Area button in the Modify Area Feature window to initiate the boundary change.

Step 9

As part of the boundary change process, the following notification appears listing the school
districts(s) losing area as a result of the boundary change. Select OK.

Step 10

The next window provides an optional COMMENTS field that can be used to include any
supporting information about the boundary change. Select Ok.

Step 11

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Step

Action and Result
The Map View updates to reflect the change in boundary made to Carthage Elementary School
District.

Step 12

5.3.5

Add a Linear Feature to Split a Face

Table 16 describes the steps to add a linear feature to split a face if the whole area of a selected
face is not to be included in the boundary change. After splitting the face, refer to Table 15 to
complete the boundary change.
Table 16: Steps to Add a Linear Feature to Split a Face
Step

Action and Result
From the SDRP toolbar, select the Add Linear Feature button.

Step 1

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Step

Action and Result
In this example, the new boundary does not exist in the Census Bureau data and a new linear
feature must be added before the boundary change may be made.
In the Map View, navigate and zoom to the area to split. Left-click the mouse at the starting
point of the line (A) and continue to left-click the mouse at each vertex along the path of the line
to be drawn. When the line is complete, right-click the mouse to finish drawing (B).

Step 2

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GUPS adds the linear feature to the map while also splitting faces. These split faces can be
individually selected to include in a boundary change.

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Step

Action and Result
If a linear feature is added into an adjacent county that does not have county reference layers
loaded, GUPS will display a message prompting that reference layers need to be loaded for the
identified county to continue.

Select OK to automatically open the Load/Unload County Reference tool with the county
preselected by GUPS to download. Select Cancel to close the window if adjacent county
reference layers are not needed

5.3.6

Delete a Linear Feature

Linear features can be deleted one segment at a time, as described in Table 17, or multiple
segments at a time as described in Table 18.
Table 17: Steps to Delete a Linear Feature One Segment at a Time
Step

Action and Result
Only user added linear features can be deleted using the Delete Linear Feature button.

Step 1

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In this example, a linear feature that was digitized incorrectly is deleted. Select the Delete Linear
Feature button from the SDRP toolbar to delete the linear feature created in the previous steps.

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Step

Action and Result
Left-click the mouse on the segment to delete. It will highlight in cyan to indicate its selection.
When the Delete Linear Feature tool is active the mouse cursor turns into a cross-selection.
Hover over the line segment to delete and left-click the mouse to complete the selection of the
feature. A window opens to confirm whether to delete the selected feature(s).

Step 2
Choose OK and GUPS deletes the line segment.

Step 3

Another method to delete a linear feature is by using the Select Feature(s) button and Select
Features by Polygon option to draw a selection region/area over the line to delete then follow
the same instructions as detailed in the previous step.
Table 18: Steps to Delete Multiple Segments of a Linear Feature

Step

Action and Result
Choose the Select Feature(s) button from the Standard toolbar. Please note, the image below
shows only a portion of the Standard toolbar.

Step 1
Details on the Standard toolbar are found in sub-appendix E2.

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Step

Action and Result
Left-click the mouse on the map and drag a selection box around the linear features added to the
map. GUPS will highlight selected features yellow (color may vary).

Step 2

From the SDRP toolbar, with the linear feature selected, select the Delete Linear Feature button.

Only user added linear features are eligible for deletion. GUPS will notify if any of the selected
features are ineligible for deletion. Select OK to proceed with deletion or Cancel to close the
window and cancel the deletion request.
Step 3

The Map View refreshes, and the linear feature is deleted.

Step 4

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5.3.7

Making Elementary and Secondary School District Boundary Changes
Simultaneously

If GUPS detects that an elementary school district boundary change may require a
corresponding secondary school district boundary change, GUPS will offer the user the option
to proceed with the secondary boundary change once the elementary change is complete. The
user may choose to use the same face selection from the elementary school district boundary
change to update the secondary school district, or the user can decline if the secondary update
is not appropriate. Follow the steps in Table 19 to complete this action.
Table 19: Steps to Make Elementary and Secondary School District Boundary Changes
Step

Action and Result
Begin by selecting the Modify Area Feature button from the SDRP toolbar.

Step 1

In this example, a boundary change will be completed between 01385–Carthage Elementary
School District 317, 01384–Illini West High School District 307, and 27780–Nauvoo-Colusa
Community Unit School District 325. In the Modify Area Feature window, select Elementary
School District from the Geography drop down menu and then choose Boundary Change from
the Action drop down menu.
Step 2

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Step

Action and Result
Double-click the left mouse button to select 01385–Carthage Elementary School District 317
from the target layer list.

Upon selection, the Map View zooms to the extent of 01385–Carthage Elementary School
District 317.
Step 3

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Step

Action and Result
Choose the Select Feature(s) button from the Modify Area Feature window.

Step 4

From the Map View, select any face from the adjacent 27780–Nauvoo-Colusa Community Unit
School District 325 using the Select Feature(s) button. The selected face will highlight in yellow.

Step 5

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Step

Action and Result
From the Modify Area Feature window, select the Add Area button to begin the boundary
change.

Step 6

GUPS begins to process the boundary change. The List of School Districts Losing Area window
appears. Select OK to dismiss the window.

Step 7

The following window provides read-only attribute information for the target elementary school
district. The COMMENTS field is optional. Select Ok continue.

Step 8

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Step

Action and Result
GUPS opens a new dialog window that asks, “Do you want to use this selection to update the
Secondary School District?” If No is selected, the update completes, leaving the elementary
school district boundary change intact and making no change to the secondary school district. To
update the secondary school district, select Yes.

Step 9

GUPS opens a new dialog window with the prompt “Select Secondary School District.” This dropdown menu provides a list of all Secondary School Districts in the state, sorted by Secondary
School District name. Choose 01384–Illini West High School District 307 then select OK.
Step 10

GUPS begins to process the boundary change. The following window opens, providing noneditable and editable attribute information of the target secondary school district. The
COMMENTS field is optional. Select Ok to continue.

Step 11

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Step

Action and Result
GUPS refreshes the Map View, and the secondary school district boundary change is complete.

Step 12

5.3.8

Complex Consolidation

A complex consolidation change refers to the situation where two or more school districts
merge to create a new school district with a new name and new SDLEA ID number along with
additional boundary changes. Follow the steps in Table 20 to perform a complex consolidation.
Table 20: Steps to Perform a Complex Consolidation
Step

Action and Result
Begin by selecting the Modify Area Feature button from the SDRP toolbar.

Step 1

In this example, a complex consolidation will be completed between 01388–Dallas Elementary
School District 327 and 01381–La Harpe Community School District 347. In the Modify Area
Feature window select Elementary School District from the Geography drop down menu and
then choose Complex Consolidation from the Action drop down menu.
Step 2

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Step

Action and Result
Double-click the left mouse button to select 01388–Dallas Elementary School District 327 from
the target layer list. Upon selection, the Map View zooms to the extent of Dallas Elementary
School District.

Step 3

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Step

Action and Result
To begin the consolidation, choose the Select Feature(s) button from the Modify Area Feature
window.

Step 4

Using the Select Feature(s) button, select any face from 01381–La Harpe Community School
District 347. This selection is for identifying the second school district to be included in the
complex consolidation. When a face is selected, the Complex Consolidation Selection dialog opens
with a list of all unified and elementary school districts in the state. This warning window confirms
the school districts to consolidate from. Select OK.

Step 5

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Step

Action and Result
The Map View refreshes and the entire La Harpe Community School District is highlighted in
yellow.

Step 6

With both school districts selected, choose the Complex Consolidation button from the Modify
Area Feature window to begin the consolidation.

Step 7

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Step

Action and Result
The first window to appear is for Selected School Districts. This window includes a layer list of
school districts to be consolidated as well as two radio buttons to choose the school district type
to consolidate into.

Step 8

The radio button automatically defaults to the school district type of the selected target layer, in
this case, Elementary School District. It is also possible to consolidate the chosen elementary
school districts into a unified school district by selecting the Unified School District radio button.
In this example, the chosen elementary school districts are consolidated into a new elementary
school district. Select OK.
The Modify Area Feature Attribute window opens. This window is used to provide the attribute
information for the new consolidated school district. Required fields include SDLEA, Name, Low
Grade, and High Grade. Comments are optional.

Step 9

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Step

Action and Result
GUPS automatically generates a temporary SDLEA ID number. If an approved SDLEA ID number
exists, enter it into the SDLEA field. If a temporary number is used, the SDRP team will obtain a
permanent SDLEA ID number from the NCES. In this example, the automatically generated SDLEA
ID number is used. Fill in the remaining required fields as shown below. Select Ok to close the
window.

Step 10

The Map View refreshes, and the newly consolidated Dallas La Harpe Elementary School District
appears on the map.

Step 11

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A complex consolidation must also include boundary change(s). The next step is to complete these
boundary changes. Refer to sub-section 5.3.1 for directions on how to perform a boundary
change.

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5.3.9

Complex Dissolution

A complex dissolution change occurs when a single school district is dissolved and its area split
between two or more other existing school districts, with or without additional boundary
changes. Follow the steps in Table 21 to perform a complex dissolution.
Table 21: Steps to Perform a Complex Dissolution
Step

Action and Result
Complex dissolutions require county reference layers to be loaded into the SDRP project. For the
affected school districts, confirm that county reference layers have been loaded for all applicable
counties. Use the Load/Unload County Reference Layer tool described in Table 13 to load
county reference layers.
Begin by selecting the Modify Area Feature button from the SDRP toolbar.

Step 1

In this example, a complex dissolution is completed using a unified school district,
18060–Hamilton Community Consolidated School District 328. In the Modify Area Feature
window, select Unified School District from the Geography drop down menu and then choose
Complex Dissolution from the Action drop down menu.
Step 2

Select 18060–Hamilton Community Consolidated School District 328 from the target layer list.

Step 3

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Step

Action and Result
Upon selection, the Map View zooms to the extent of Hamilton Community Consolidated School
District.

Step 4

To begin the dissolution, choose the Select Feature(s) button from the Modify Area Feature
window.

Step 5

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Step

Action and Result
Use the Select Feature(s) button to choose faces from the target layer. This may be done by
either 1) selecting individual faces to be included or 2) selecting a region of faces by left-clicking
the mouse and dragging across the target school district. Only faces that exist within the target
school district will be selected. Selected faces will be highlighted in yellow. This example overlays
the yellow on the purple for the school district.

Step 6

With the faces selected, choose the Complex Dissolution button from the Modify Area Feature
window to begin the dissolution.

Step 7

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Step

Action and Result
The first window to appear is for Select School Districts. Each school district listed is sorted
alphabetically by level. From this list, choose the school district that will be used to incorporate
the dissolved faces. In this example, select 27780–Nauvoo-Colusa Community Unit School
District 325, then select OK.

Step 8

The final window to appear is the Create Change Polygons attribute information. The
COMMENTS field is editable to allow any notes that may be relevant to the dissolution. Select
Ok.

Step 9

There could be a lag between selecting the faces to be included in the dissolution and when the
dissolution completes in GUPS. If there is a noticeable lag, GUPS is still in the process of
dissolving the selected faces and completes once the Modify Area Feature notification appears.

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Step

Action and Result
The Map View refreshes and the updated school district boundaries for both Hamilton
Community Consolidated School Districts and Nauvoo-Colusa Community Unit School District
display.

Step 10

GUPS automatically reselects 18060–Hamilton Community School District 328 to finish selecting
the remaining faces.

Step 11

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Step

Action and Result
To complete the dissolution, select the remaining faces and dissolve them into neighboring
Warsaw Community Unit School District. Once dissolved, the revised school district boundaries
should reflect the example below. To help view the dissolution, a red rectangle is used in the
image below. The former boundary lines are shaded in light gray.

Step 12

5.3.10 New District
A new district change occurs when transferring area from one or more existing school districts
to form a completely new school district. Do not confuse this transaction with a consolidation
where the entire area of one or more school districts consolidates to form a new school district.
Follow the steps in Table 22 to create a new school district.
Table 22: Steps to Create a New District
Step

Action and Result
A new district change requires county reference layers to be loaded. Confirm that county
reference layers have been loaded for all applicable counties before continuing. Use the
Load/Unload County Reference Layer tool described in Table 13 to load county reference layers.
Begin by selecting the Modify Area Feature button from the SDRP toolbar.

Step 1

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Step

Action and Result
This example illustrates creating a unified school district, Hancock Unified School District. In the
Modify Area Feature window, use the mouse next to the Geography and Action drop-down
menus to choose Unified School District. Select New District, respectively.

Step 2

Note: When the action is set to New District, the Modify Area Feature window disables the
school district layers list and activates only the Select Feature(s) and New District buttons.
From the Modify Area Feature window, choose the Select Feature(s) button.

Step 3

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Step

Action and Result
In the Map View, zoom into an area to include in the new district. This example demonstrates
selecting faces from existing 40890–Warsaw Community Unit School District 316 to create the
new district.

Step 4

Select the Add New District button in the Modify Area Feature window.

Step 5

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Step

Action and Result
The Modify Area Feature window opens with attributes needed to create a new district.

Step 6

The red asterisk denotes the required fields (SDLEA, Name, Low Grade, and High Grade) to
complete the new district fields. GUPS automatically generates a temporary SDLEA ID number. If
a temporary number is used, the SDRP team will obtain a permanent SDLEA ID number from the
NCES. Complete these fields and then select Ok.
The List of School Districts Losing Area window appears. Select OK.

Step 7

There could be a lag between selecting the faces to be included in the new district and when the
new district action completes in GUPS. If there is a noticeable lag, GUPS is still in the process of
creating the new district with the chosen faces and completes once the Modify Area Feature
notification appears.

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Step

Action and Result
The Map View refreshes, and the new Hancock Unified School District appears on the map.

Step 8

5.4

Review and Validate Updates

GUPS provides three tools—the SDRP Criteria Review tool, the Geography Review tool, and the
Review Change Polygons tool to help review and validate the updates made during the SDRP.
The contents of this sub-section detail using each of these three tools and provide examples of
errors or warnings that may result.

5.4.1

SDRP Criteria Review Tool

The SDRP Criteria Review tool is a validation tool that reviews spatial and attribute changes
made during the SDRP. The SDRP Criteria Review tool is a mandatory tool that must be run
before the export of the file to the Census Bureau. This tool ensures that all changes correctly
follow Census Bureau data submission guidelines, and it allows corrections on any item that is
flagged for review by the SDRP Criteria Review tool.
The tool reports two problem types: errors and informational warnings. Errors are critical data
issues that must be fixed before exporting data to the Census Bureau. Warnings are issues that
the Census Bureau would like the mapping coordinator to review. This tool reviews five primary
criteria as listed in Table 23.

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Table 23: SDRP Criteria Review Tool Error and Warning Messages
Criteria

Error/Warning

Fix/Ignore

Grade Range Overlap (sub-section 5.4.1.1)

Error

Must Fix

Grade Range Coverage Gap (sub-sections 5.4.1.2 and 5.4.1.3)

Error

Must Fix

Partially Dissolved School District (sub-section 5.4.1.4)

Error

Must Fix

Non-contiguous Entities (sub-section 5.4.1.5)

Warning

Fix or Ignore

Multiple Secondary School Districts (SCSDs) to a single
Elementary School District (ELSD) (sub-section 5.4.1.6)

Warning

Fix or Ignore

Table 24 covers the steps to use the SDRP Criteria Review tool.
Table 24: Steps to Use the SDRP Criteria Review Tool
Step

Action and Result
Open the SDRP Criteria Review tool from the SDRP toolbar.

Once selected, users may be asked to save the project before the tool can run. All edits must be
saved prior to review. If a save-related message appears select Yes. The following window
appears indicating the tool’s progress in reviewing all criteria checks.
Step 1

If the tool determines that spatial and attributes changes have passed review, the following
window appears.

Step 2

The option to open the SDRP Criteria Review tool is presented if the user would like to review
any warnings that were previously fixed. In this scenario, all features have passed the criteria
review.

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Step

Action and Result
If errors are found, the following window appears.

Step 3

Follow the detailed instructions on correcting the various error types that can occur during the
SDRP Criteria Review located in the subsequent sub-sections.
5.4.1.1 Grade Range Overlap Error
Note: The scenarios provided are intended to be an introduction on how to resolve criteria errors in
GUPS and not a comprehensive list of all possible scenarios and solutions that can occur. The
steps taken to resolve real-world criteria errors largely depend on the type of edits completed
and the local, specialized school district knowledge the mapping coordinator has when making
updates during the SDRP.

Grade Range Overlaps occur when one school district contains grade ranges that also exist in
another school district occupying the same area. For example, an elementary school district has
a grade range of pre-k (PK)-9 while the underlying secondary school district has a grade range
of 9-12. This is considered a grade range overlap since both the elementary school district and
the secondary school district have ‘9th grade’ in their respective grade ranges. Grade range
adjustments need to occur for either the elementary school district or secondary school district
to correct this error.
Table 25 illustrates an example where the SDRP Criteria Review tool flagged a grade range
overlap that exists between 01385–Carthage Elementary School District 317 and 01384–Illini
West High School District 307.

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Table 25: Steps to Correct a Grade Range Overlap Error
Step

Action and Result
In this example, the SDRP Criteria Review tool flagged a grade range overlap that exists between
01385–Carthage Elementary School District 317 and 01384–Illini West High School District 307.

Step 1

Review the error to identify the issue. Both the elementary school district (01385–Carthage
Elementary School District 317) and the secondary school district (01384–Illini West High School
District 307) have ‘9’ in their grade range coverage. Carthage Elementary’s grade range should
only include PK-08. Therefore, an attribute change must occur for Carthage Elementary School
District to resolve this issue.
To correct the grade range overlap, select 01385–Carthage Elementary School District 317 from
the Modify Area Feature window info list as the target layer. Then select the Change Attributes
button.

Step 2

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Step

Action and Result
The window opens with editable attributes fields for 01385–Carthage Elementary School District
317.

Step 3

Change the High Grade attribute from 09 to 08. Then select OK.

Step 4

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Step

Action and Result
In the SDRP Criteria Review tool (still open from its original execution), select the Save button.
The criteria check will run again.

Step 5

If all issues were corrected, a message displays saying all features pass criteria review.
Otherwise, continue correcting the failures.

5.4.1.2 Grade Range Coverage Gap Error–Incorrect Attributes
Grade Range Gaps can occur when one, or more, school district geographies have missing grade
ranges. In this example a grade range gap (Figure 42) has been identified between 01381–La
Harpe Community School District 347 and 01384–Illini West High School District 307. A grade
range attribute change could be made to either the elementary school district or the secondary
school district. Changing the grade range for La Harpe Community School District from ‘PK-07’
to ‘PK-08’, as described above in Table 25, would resolve the grade range gap error.

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Figure 42: Example of a Grade Range Gap Error–Incorrect Attributes

5.4.1.3 Grade Range Coverage Gap Error–Missing School District Geography Coverage
It is possible that a grade range coverage gap exists because school district geography coverage
is missing entirely. For example, during a Complex Consolidation or Boundary Change, faces
from a unified school district are added to an elementary school district. The unified school
district faces that now belong to the elementary school district are missing secondary school
district coverage because GUPS does not automatically apply secondary coverage. Instead of an
attribute change, the grade range gap is resolved by adding the secondary school district
coverage to those new elementary school district faces through the boundary change action.
Refer to Table 15 for steps to make a boundary change using whole faces.
5.4.1.4 Partially Dissolved School District Error
If, during a complex dissolution action, a school district has not been completely dissolved into
the target school district(s), the SDRP Criteria Review tool flags this partially dissolved school
district as an error (Figure 43). In the example below, 18060–Hamilton Community School
District 328 has been flagged as being partially dissolved.

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Figure 43: Example of a Partially Dissolved School District Error

The description states how many faces remain to dissolve. In this example, Hamilton
Community Consolidated School District 328 has 612 faces that need to be dissolved to
complete the dissolution. Open the Modify Area Feature tool and complete the complex
dissolution for Hamilton Community Consolidated School District 328. Refer to Table 21 if
questions remain on performing this update.
When all faces have been dissolved, select Save in the SDRP Criteria Review tool to rerun the
tool to confirm that the error has been resolved. If all faces have been dissolved and no other
informational warnings or errors exist, the SDRP Criteria Review tool will indicate that all
criteria have passed review.
5.4.1.5 Informational Warning–Non-contiguous Entities
A noncontiguous entity is a type of informational warning that GUPS provides as a means of
data review. Unlike errors, which must be corrected, informational warnings do not require
fixing before exporting the file to the Census Bureau. They can either be ignored or fixed. The
purpose of these informational warnings is to alert users of any potential data issues created
during the SDRP editing phase. The noncontiguous entity warning can be useful if, for example,
during the creation of a new school district, some faces were missed.
It is possible to ignore a noncontiguous warning. If modifying or creating a school district has
resulted in a noncontiguous school district with legitimate data changes, the criteria review
gives the option to ignore the warning.
5.4.1.6 Informational Warning–Multiple Secondary School District (SCSD) Assigned to Single
Elementary School District (ELSD)
The second type of informational warning involves the assignment of multiple secondary school
districts to a single elementary school district.

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Figure 44: Informational Warning (Multiple Secondary School Districts–Single School District)

In this example, illustrated in Figure 44, the SDRP Criteria Review tool found that ELSD 03840
Concord School District is covered by multiple SCSDs (03870 and 06930). Upon review, a
boundary correction to ELSD Concord resulted in a single face being covered by SCSD LincolnSudbury while the balance of Concord is covered by SCSD Concord-Carlisle. Resolving these
types of warnings will largely depend on the local, specialized knowledge regarding the
behavior of school district geography.
For this example, the following three solutions could be used to resolve this warning.
•

Ignore–The change in geography is correct and should be left as is.

•

Boundary Change–The face should belong to ELSD Lincoln-Sudbury School District and not ELSD
Concord School District.

•

New SCSD–Include this face in a new secondary school district.

5.4.1.7 Informational Warnings–Options for Viewing
By default, the SDRP Criteria Review tool will only display warnings for school districts that have
been modified by a user as indicated by the checkmark next to the “Only show warnings for
school district modified by user” option. Unchecking this option may display warnings for other
school districts in the state that were not included as updates during the SDRP. If time allows
the mapping coordinator can review these warnings, but the priority should be warnings
identified for school districts modified by a user first.
The second option is the checkbox for ‘Show All Ignored Warnings.” When informational
warnings have been ignored, the SDRP Criteria Review tool removes these items from the
Criteria Fail list. To review any previously ignored informational warnings, select the show all
check box. Unchecking the Show All Ignored Warnings check box hides these items from the
Criteria Fail list (Figure 45).
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Figure 45: Information Warning Check Boxes

Note: When the Show All checkbox is selected, the Ignore checkbox for previously ignored
informational warnings is disabled. Informational warnings marked as ignore cannot be
unchecked once changes are saved in the SDRP Criteria Review tool.

5.4.2

Geography Review Tool

The Geography Review tool filters the map layers based on various fields in the attribute table.
Use this tool to check the updates made to linear features and school districts. This tool may
also be used to view the attributes of entities, features, and boundaries that were not changed.
Steps for using the Geography Review tool information appear in Table 26.
Table 26: Steps to Use the Geography Review Tool
Step

Action and Result
Select the Geography Review tool from the SDRP toolbar.

The Geography Review Tool window opens.

Step 1

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Step

Action and Result
From the Layer Name drop-down menu select the data layer to view.

Step 2

For this example, select “sdrpst24_17_changes_unsd.” This is a change polygon created from
updating a unified school district layer.
Once selected, the attribute table opens and the attributes for each unified school district that
changed are displayed.

Step 3

If all the columns in the attribute data table are not visible, drag the edge of the window
outward to widen the view. Alternatively, move the window to another location by selecting
inside the box and dragging it.

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Step

Action and Result
To view the unified school district on the map, select the corresponding row in the attribute
table, then choose the Zoom button in the window. The row is highlighted, and the map
automatically zooms to the unified school district. The feature will be highlighted yellow–color
may vary.

Step 4

To view other unified school districts in the table rows, use the Previous Zoom and Next Zoom
buttons. Selecting each button automatically zooms and highlights the feature for that row.

Step 5

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Step

Action and Result
Use the Search feature at the bottom of the window to filter the table layers by specific
attributes (e.g., full name, MTFCC, change type, etc.)

For this example, select change type (CHNG_TYPE) and choose M–Merge/Complex
Consolidation. After selecting Search button, the attribute table is filtered to show the rows for
only those records with a CHNG_TYPE ‘M’.
Step 6

The drop-down list of CHNG_TYPES is a global list for all Census Bureau programs, therefore
there are more CHNG_TYPES available than are used in the SDRP. The following CHNG_TYPES
are those specific to the SDRP: A–Annexation or Addition; M–Merge/Complex Consolidation;
B–Boundary Correction; E–New Entity/New District; G–Change Classification; H–Complex
Dissolution, P–Partially Dissolved District; X–Deletion; N–New in County School District.
To view an individual record, select its row and choose the Zoom button. To return to the
attribute table to see a full, unfiltered, unified school district layer select the Refresh button in
the upper right-hand corner of the window.

Step 7

5.4.3

Review Change Polygons Tool

The Review Change Polygons tool, described in Table 27, allows the user to view the
transactions created from school district boundary edits.

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Table 27: Steps to Use the Review Change Polygons Tool
Step

Action and Result
Select the Review Change Polygons tool from the SDRP toolbar.

The Review Change Polygons window opens just below the Table of Contents.

Step 1

Use the Geography drop-down menu to select the school district geography type to review. In
this example, select Elementary School District.

Step 2

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Step

Action and Result
After selecting the geography type, the window populates with all change polygon transactions
for the selected school district level. This elementary school district has two transactions for a
complex consolidation.

Step 3

To view the polygon related to the transaction, select the row for the polygon in the list. The
map zooms to the location of the polygon and highlights that polygon on the map (highlight is
yellow, but color may vary.)

Step 4

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Step

Action and Result
Once the review is complete, close the Review Change Polygons tool by selecting the Close
button in the lower right-hand corner.

Step 5

5.5

Export Zip Files to Share and Submit

There are two options for creating export Zip files: export a file to share with another
participant and export a file for submission to the Census Bureau. Exporting a file to share with
another participant does not require all errors to be resolved and exports the whole project,
including all reference files. It may be useful to use this option if a school district or county
completes their updates, and they want to send the results to the mapping coordinator for
review.
Exporting a file for submission to the Census Bureau requires all SDRP criteria review errors to
be resolved. The Census Bureau will only accept this file export for submission. In either case,
GUPS automatically names the output Zip file. It packages all files required by the Census
Bureau into the Zip file and saves it in the default GUPS project directory.

5.5.1

Export a File to Share with Another Participant

To export a file to share with another participant, follow the steps in Table 28.
Table 28: Steps to Export a File to Share with Another Participant
Step

Action and Result
Select on the Export to Zip button on the SDRP toolbar.

Step 1

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Step

Action and Result
The Select Output Type window opens. Select the Share with Another Participant radio button.
Then choose OK to continue.

Step 2

The Export to Zip window opens and displays the location of the export file. Select Yes to view
the folder with the export file or No to close the window.

Step 3

Selecting Yes displays the folder location where GUPS placed the zipped file.

Step 4

Note: GUPS automatically saves the file to an output folder that the GUPS installer placed on the
computer during the installation process.

5.5.2

Export a File for Submission to the Census Bureau

To export a file for submission to the Census Bureau follow the steps in Table 29.

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Table 29: Steps to Export a File for Submission to the Census Bureau
Step

Action and Result
Select on the Export to Zip button on the SDRP toolbar.

Step 1

The Select Output Type window opens. Select the Export for Census radio button. Then choose
OK to continue.

Step 2

If the SDRP Criteria Review tool was not previously executed, the Export to Zip window displays
the SDRP Criteria Review check with a status of NEEDED.

Step 3

If this message appears, select the Cancel button, run the SDRP Criteria Review tool, and resolve
any errors. Check the “Show All Ignored Warnings” box, as shown in Figure 45, for all
informational messages that are valid. Then repeat the export steps again.

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Step

Action and Result
If the SDRP Criteria Review tool was previously executed, the Export to Zip window displays the
status of the check and the date and time the checks were made, as shown below.

Step 4

Review the run times listed. If any additional changes were made after the time displayed, select
Cancel and run the SDRP Criteria Review tool again. Then repeat the export steps. To continue
with the export, select OK.
The Export to Zip window opens and displays the location of the export file. Select Yes to view
the folder with the export file or No to close the window.

Step 5

Selecting Yes displays the folder location where GUPS placed the zipped file.

Step 6

Note: GUPS automatically saves the file to an output folder that the GUPS installer placed on the
computer during the installation process.

Proceed to the final part of the guide to learn about submitting files to the Census Bureau.

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PART 5

HOW TO SUBMIT FILES TO THE CENSUS BUREAU

CHAPTER 6

USING THE SECURE WEB INCOMING MODULE (SWIM)

All submissions for the SDRP must be sent to the Census Bureau using the SWIM. Use the
instructions in this chapter to establish or access a SWIM account and submit the state’s SDRP
zipped GUPS export file, zipped updated listing files, and/or zipped submission log.
Some mapping coordinators may have an existing SWIM account. If so, submit the state’s SDRP
submission using that existing account. For mapping coordinators without an established
account, contact the Census Bureau by email at  to request a
registration token. Once a SWIM token has been assigned, create a SWIM account.
To check for the existence of a SWIM account or to reset a password on an established account,
choose “Forgot your password?” on the main SWIM page and enter the email address in
question to check for the existence of an account. If SWIM locates an account, it asks the
established security question for the account, for which the answer is not case-sensitive, and
sends an email to reset the forgotten password. If SWIM does not locate an account associated
with the email address, it returns the following message, “No account registered for this email
address. The email address associated with the account is case sensitive. Try again with the
proper case or go to Account Registration to register for a SWIM account.” Choosing the
Account Registration link opens another window to establish a SWIM account; however, the
person must have a registration token to proceed.
Note: The components of both the email address and the password of SWIM accounts are casesensitive. Make note of the format used when establishing the SWIM account (e.g.,
[email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected].)

SWIM allows four attempts to login before it temporarily locks the account for 15 minutes.
After the lock expires, try to login again or reset the password using the aforementioned
“Forgot your password?” link on the login page. Once reset and logged into SWIM, account
holders may modify their password and security answer by selecting “Change Security” link
along the top, right side of the window.
SWIM file requirements include submission of .zip file format. The .zip file may not include
another .zip file as a component and it must not be larger than 250 megabytes. To send
Annotation Phase changes to the Census Bureau, follow the instructions in Table 30. If
problems still occur with SWIM, contact the Census Bureau because it may be necessary to
create a new SWIM account.

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Table 30: Steps to Use SWIM
Step

Action and Result
Open a new browser window and enter the URL: . The SWIM
login screen opens.

Step 1

Step 2

For users that already have a SWIM account enter the email address and password. The email
and password are case sensitive. Select the Login button. Skip to Step 7.

Step 3

Users without a SWIM account must register. Select the Register Account button. The Account
Registration screen opens. All fields on the Account Registration screen are required.
While working in SWIM obtain help by selecting the Help button on any screen. A screen opens
with links to help resources.

Step 4

U.S. Census Bureau

On the Account Registration screen, enter the 12-digit token provided by the Census Bureau,
then enter contact name, agency, and email in the appropriate fields.

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Step

Action and Result
Create a password. The passwords must meet the five criteria below:

Step 5

1.

It must be 8 characters in length.

2.

It must have at least one upper case character.

3.

It must have at least one lower case character.

4.

It must have at least one number.

5.

It must have at least one special character (valid special characters are: #, !, $, *, &, ?,
~).

Note: The commas shown immediately above are to separate the special characters listed. A
comma is not a valid character for the password
Set up a security question (choose the arrow on the right of the Security Question box and
select a question in the drop-down list, then enter an answer in the Answer box). When finished,
select the Submit button. A screen opens to confirm that the account has been successfully
registered.

Step 6

Choose Login to return to the SWIM Login screen to enter the newly established account login
and password information.
Enter the account login and password information and choose the Login button.

Step 7

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Step

Action and Result
With a valid login and password, the Welcome screen opens. To begin the submission process,
choose the Start New Upload button.

Step 8

The “What Census program are you reporting data for?” window opens. Select the School
District Review Program radio button, and then choose Next at the bottom of the screen.

Step 9

The Select a State window opens asking which state is being reported. Select the radio button
next to the appropriate state and then choose the Next button to continue.

Step 10

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Step

Action and Result
The Select a .zip file to upload screen opens.

Step 11

To upload a .zip file, select the + Add File button on the screen to open a window that allows the
user to navigate to the .zip file’s location.

Step 12

More than one .zip file can be added for upload in the SWIM session by repeating use of the
+ Add File button to locate and select each .zip file (e.g., zipped updated listing files, zipped
submission log, zipped GUPS project) to upload. Or users can upload the individual .zip files
separately. Please include Comments detailing what files are included in the SWIM upload and
whether more files are expected.

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Step

Action and Result
Locate the .zip file(s) to upload and then double-click the left mouse button to add it to the
window for upload. The Progress field on the Select a .zip file to upload screen shows the
progress of the upload. Once the upload is complete, the Status field shows Success, and the
name of the file appears in the File(s) field.

Step 13

Type any comments in the Comments field. Select the Next button.

Step 14

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Step

Action and Result
The Thank You page confirms the receipt of the submission. To add additional files, choose the
upload form link in the phrase You may Log Out or return to the upload form, to submit more
files. This choice returns to the Welcome screen. Otherwise, to log out, select Log Out.

Step 15

Be aware SWIM sessions deactivate after 15 minutes of inactivity.

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APPENDICES

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APPENDIX A

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The Census Bureau categorizes school districts based on the grade ranges for which the school
district is financially responsible. These may or may not be the same as the grade ranges that a
school district operates. The grade range that reflects financial responsibility is important for
the allocation of Title I funds. Following are examples of how the Census Bureau represents
financial responsibility.

A1

Pseudo School Districts

When a school district is financially responsible for providing education for one set of grades in
one geographic area and financially responsible for a different set of grades in a different
geographic area, the Census Bureau may create a pseudo school district to properly allocate
Title I funds. For example, a school district that is financially responsible for grades K-12 in one
geographic area is also financially responsible to educate students in grades 9-12 from a
neighboring district covering a different geographic area. The Census Bureau creates a pseudo
school district to identify the financially responsible district for grades 9-12 covering the
geographic area of the neighboring district. The pseudo district is associated with the regular
district so that the regular district is given “credit” for the additional financial responsibility.
Consider the example of Science Hill Independent School District.
The Science Hill Independent School District has very few children in grades 9-12, so those
children attend school in the Pulaski County School District (Figure 46). Pulaski County School
District is financially responsible for educating children in grades 9-12 who live in the Science
Hill Independent School District and Pulaski County School District is financially responsible for
educating children in grade ranges K-12 within Pulaski County, outside of the Science Hill
Independent School District. Therefore, the Census Bureau created the pseudo district “Pulaski
County School District for Science Hill” using the same boundaries as the Science Hill
Independent School District and assigned grades 9-12 to “Pulaski County School District for
Science Hill.” The Science Hill Independent School District is assigned grades K-8 while the
Pulaski County School District maintains its grades K-12.

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Figure 46: Example of a Pseudo School District–Pulaski County, KY

These pseudo districts are identified in the Inventory and Grade Range file by a flag with a value
of "A." In the School District Boundary shapefiles, pseudo districts are identified by an SDTYPE
of “A.”
Additionally, the Census Bureau assigns them a pseudo SDLEA ID number and a school district
name that is slightly different from the official name of the school district. They appear in the
Inventory and Grade Range Listing1 as shown in Table 31.
Table 31: Pseudo School Districts in the Inventory and Grade Range Listing File
STATE
CODE

1

SDLEA

LOGRADE

HIGRADE

SDLEVEL

SDTYPE

NAME

21

04950

PK

12

U

--

Pulaski County School
District

21

21002

09

12

S

A

Pulaski County School
District for Science Hill ISD

21

05220

PK

08

E

--

Science Hill Independent
School District

Refer to Appendix B for additional information.

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When submitting a pseudo school district, provide the following information:
•

Official school district name and SDLEA ID number.

•

Alternate grade range.

•

Service area of alternate grade range.

Currently, the Census Bureau has defined pseudo school districts in California, Georgia, Illinois,
Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and
Vermont. To discuss school districts that fit the above description, contact the SDRP team at
.

A2

Elementary PK/KG-12 School District

When a school district is financially responsible for all grades, but only operates schools with
elementary grades, the Census Bureau classifies this as a PK/KG-12 Elementary School District.
For example, a school district operates schools for children in grades Kindergarten (KG)-8 and
pays a neighboring school district to educate children in grades 9–12. The first school district is
operationally responsible for grades KG-8, but financially responsible for grades KG-12. If an
elementary school district is financially responsible for grades KG-12 or Pre-Kindergarten (PK)–
12, there will be no secondary school district represented for that area. In cases where an
elementary school district is financially responsible for only lower grades, there is generally a
secondary school district that is financially responsible for providing educational services for the
upper grades.

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APPENDIX B

DATA DICTIONARY FOR THE LISTING FILES

The Census Bureau produces Excel files for the Annotation Phase. The listing file names will be
followed by “_A”; e.g., _SD_Inventory_A.xls where  = two-digit state FIPS code. Use
the information in the sub-appendices to learn about the attributes contained in each listing.

B1

Data Dictionary for the Inventory and Grade Range File

These files follow the naming convention of _SD_Inventory_A.xls. Table 32 describes the
fields in the file, their length, data type, a brief description of the field, and the valid value
ranges.
Table 32: Data Dictionary for the Inventory and Grade Range File
Attribute
Field

Length

Type

Description

Value/Range

STATE
CODE

2

VARCHAR

State FIPS (Federal Information
Processing Standards) code

01, 02, 04-06, 08-13,
15-42, 44-51, 53-56

SDLEA

5

VARCHAR

Federal school district local education
agency (SDLEA) ID number

00001-99998

LOGRADE

2

VARCHAR

School district low grade

PK, KG, 01-11

HIGRADE

2

VARCHAR

School district high grade

PK, KG, 01-12

SDLEVEL

1

VARCHAR

School district level

E=Elementary;
S=Secondary;
U=Unified;
A=Administrative Area

SDTYPE

1

VARCHAR

School district type

A=Pseudo; B=Dept. of
Defense; C=Interstate;
D=Bureau of Indian
Affairs; E=Same Name

NAME

100

VARCHAR

School district name

Not Blank

B2

Data Dictionary for the County Coverage File

These files follow the naming convention _County_Coverage_A.xls. Table 33 describes the
fields in the file, their length, data type, a brief description of the field, and the valid value
ranges.

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Table 33: Data Dictionary for the County Coverage File
Attribute
Field

Length

Type

Description

Value/Range

STATE
CODE

2

VARCHAR

State FIPS (Federal Information
Processing Standards) code

01, 02, 04-06, 08-13,
15-42, 44-51, 53-56

COUNTY
CODE

3

VARCHAR

County FIPS code

001-840

COUNTY
NAME

100

VARCHAR

County name

Not Blank

SDLEA

5

VARCHAR

Federal school district local education
agency (SDLEA) ID number

00001-99998

NAME

100

VARCHAR

School district name

Not Blank

B3

Data Dictionary for the Legal Entity Coextensive Coverage File

These files follow the naming convention _Coextensive_Coverage_A.xls. Table 34 describes
the fields in the file, their length, data type, a brief description of the field, and the valid value
ranges.
Table 34: Data Dictionary for the Legal Entity Coextensive Coverage File
Attribute
Field

Length

Type

Description

Value/Range

STATE CODE

2

VARCHAR

State FIPS (Federal Information
Processing Standards) code

01, 02, 04-06, 08-13,
15-42, 44-51, 53-56

COUNTY
CODE

3

VARCHAR

County FIPS code

001-840

COUNTY
NAME

100

VARCHAR

County name

Not Blank

SDLEA

5

VARCHAR

Federal school district local education
agency (SDLEA) ID number

00001-99998

SDLEVEL

1

VARCHAR

School district level

E=Elementary;
S=Secondary;
U=Unified;
A=Administrative Area

SDNAME

100

VARCHAR

School district name

Not Blank

COEXTWITH

100

VARCHAR

Name of entity the school district is
coextensive with

Not Blank

FIPS55 CODE

5

VARCHAR

FIPS code of the entity the school district
is coextensive with

001-840, 00000-98999,
99001-99840

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B4

Data Dictionary for the School District to Geography Relationship File

These files follow the naming convention _SD_GEO_Relationship_A.xls. Table 35 describes
the fields in the file, their length, data type, a brief description of the field, and the valid value
ranges.
Table 35: Data Dictionary for the School District to Geography Relationship File
Attribute
Field

Length

Type

Description

Value/Range

SDLEA

5

VARCHAR

Federal School District Local Education
Agency (SDLEA) identification number

00001-99998

SDLEVEL

1

VARCHAR

School district level

E=Elementary;
S=Secondary;
U=Unified;
A=Administrative
Area

SDNAME

100

VARCHAR

School district name

Not Blank

COUNTY
SUBDIVISION
‘PART’ FLAG

1

VARCHAR

School district partially covers county
subdivision part flag

P

STATE CODE

2

VARCHAR

State FIPS (Federal Information
Processing Standards) code

01, 02, 04-06, 08-13,
15-42, 44-51, 53-56

COUNTY
CODE

3

VARCHAR

County FIPS code

001-840

COUNTY
SUBDIVISION
CODE

5

VARCHAR

County subdivision FIPS code

00000-98999

COUNTY
SUBDIVISION
NAME

100

VARCHAR

County subdivision name

Not Blank

COUNTY
SUBDIVISION
NAME
SUFFIX

50

VARCHAR

County subdivision name suffix

Barrio, borough, CCD,
census subarea,
census subdistrict,
city, county, district,
precinct, gore, grant,
location, municipality,
plantation, barriopueblo, purchase,
town, township, UT,
village, charter
township, reservation,
no suffix exists

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Attribute
Field

Length

Type

Description

Value/Range

PLACE ‘PART’
FLAG

1

VARCHAR

School district partially covers
incorporated place part flag

P

PLACE CODE

5

VARCHAR

Place FIPS code

00001-89999

PLACE NAME

100

VARCHAR

Place name

Not Blank

PLACE
SUFFIX

50

VARCHAR

Incorporated place name suffix

Borough, city, metro
township,
municipality, town,
village, city and
borough, consolidated
government,
corporation,
metropolitan
government, urban
county, unified
government, no suffix
exists

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APPENDIX C

SHAPEFILE NAMES

There are two series of shapefiles, one set for the state-level files and one set for county level
files, described in this appendix. The tables included below list the types of data included in
each series. Additional details for each of the shapefiles listed in this appendix are in
Appendix D.
State Shapefile Names–PVS__v1__.shp, where  is the year,
 is the abbreviated shapefile name, and  is the state FIPS code. Descriptions
for abbreviated state shapefile names are provided in Table 36.
Table 36: Abbreviated State Shapefile Names


Description

aial

American Indian Areas–Legal

cdp

Census Designated Places

county

Counties and Equivalent Areas

mcd

Minor Civil Divisions (County Subdivisions)

place

Incorporated Places

elsd

Elementary School Districts

scsd

Secondary School Districts

sdadm

School District Administrative Areas (Vermont only)

unsd

Unified School Districts

County Shapefile Names–PVS__v1__.shp, where  is the year,
 is the abbreviated shapefile name, and  is the 4-digit state and county
FIPS code. Descriptions for abbreviated county shapefile names are provided in Table 37.
Table 37: Abbreviated County Shapefile Names


U.S. Census Bureau

Description

arealm

Area Landmarks

edges

All Lines

faces

Topological Faces (Topological Polygons)

water

Hydrography–Area

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APPENDIX D

SHAPEFILE LAYOUTS AND DATA DICTIONARY

The tables included in this appendix detail each shapefile by defining the layout of each file.
They describe the fields, their length and type. Refer to these tables for more information
about the shapefiles that appears in GUPS. Tables 38–46 correspond to the state-based
shapefiles while tables 47–50 correspond to the county-based shapefiles.
Table 38: American Indian Areas (aial)–Legal
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

AIANNHCE

4

String

Census American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian (AIANNH)
area code

COMPTYP

1

String

Indicates if record is reservation (or equivalent) or off-reservation
trust land portion of AIANNH area

AIANNHFSR

1

String

Flag indicating level of recognition of an AIANNH tribe or group

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated Local/Statistical Area Definition (LSAD)

AIANNHNS

8

String

National Standard code for AIANNH area

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description code

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional status code

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS 55 class code

PARTFLG

1

String

Part flag

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

10

Date

Effective date or vintage

AUTHTYPE

1

String

Authorization type for legal area updates

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

4

String

Record ID for boundary update

AREA

10

Number

Acreage of area update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name AIANNH area

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage

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Table 39: Census Designated Places (cdp)
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

PLACEFP

5

String

FIPS 55 place code

PLACENS

8

String

National Standard feature code for the place

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated Legal/Statistical Area Description (LSAD)

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description code

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional status code

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS 55 class code

PARTFLG

1

String

Part flag

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Table 40: County and Equivalent Areas (county)
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

COUNTYFP

3

String

County FIPS code

COUNTYNS

8

String

National Standard feature code for the county or equivalent area

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated Local/Statistical Area Definition (LSAD)

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description code

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional status code

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS 55 class code

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

10

Date

Effective date or vintage

AUTHTYPE

1

String

Authorization type for legal area updates

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

4

String

Record ID for boundary update

AREA

10

Number

Acreage of area update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage

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Table 41: County Subdivisions (mcd)
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

COUNTYFP

3

String

County FIPS code

COUSUBFP

5

String

County subdivision FIPS code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated Local/Statistical Area Definition (LSAD)

COUSUBNS

8

String

National Standard feature code for the county subdivision

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description code

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional status code

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS 55 class code

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

10

Date

Effective date or vintage

AUTHTYPE

1

String

Authorization type for legal area updates

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

4

String

Record ID for boundary update

AREA

10

Number

Acreage of area update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage

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Table 42: Incorporated Places (place)
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

PLACEFP

5

String

Place FIPS code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated Local/Statistical Area Definition (LSAD)

PLACENS

8

String

National Standard feature code for the place

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description code

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional status code

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS 55 class code

PARTFLG

1

String

Part flag

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

10

Date

Effective date or vintage

AUTHTYPE

1

String

Authorization type for legal area updates

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

4

String

Record ID for boundary update

AREA

10

Number

Acreage of area update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage

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Table 43: Elementary School Districts (elsd)
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

SDLEA

5

String

Federal school district local education agency ID number

NAME

100

String

Base name portion of the standardized name

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description code

LOGRADE

2

String

School district low grade

HIGRADE

2

String

School district high grade

SDTYP

1

String

Census Bureau school district type

POLYID

4

String

Record ID for each ELSD update

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

10

Date

Effective date or vintage

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional status code

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage

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Table 44: Secondary School Districts (scsd)
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

SDLEA

5

String

Federal school district local education agency ID number

NAME

100

String

Base name portion of the standardized name

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description code

LOGRADE

2

String

School district low grade

HIGRADE

2

String

School district high grade

SDTYP

1

String

Census Bureau school district type

POLYID

4

String

Record ID for each SCSD update

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

10

Date

Effective date or vintage

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional status code

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage

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Table 45: School District Administrative Areas (sdadm)–Vermont only
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

SDLEA

5

String

Federal school district local education agency ID number

NAME

100

String

Base name portion of the standardized name

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description code

LOGRADE

2

String

School district low grade

HIGRADE

2

String

School district high grade

SDTYP

1

String

Census Bureau school district type

POLYID

4

String

Record ID for each SDADM update

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

10

Date

Effective date or vintage

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional status code

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage

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Table 46: Unified School Districts (unsd)
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

SDLEA

5

String

Federal school district local education agency ID number

NAME

100

String

Base name portion of the standardized name

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description code

LOGRADE

2

String

School district low grade

HIGRADE

2

String

School district high grade

SDTYP

1

String

Census Bureau school district type

POLYID

4

String

Record ID for each UNSD update

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

10

Date

Effective date or vintage

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional status code

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage

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Table 47: Area Landmark (arealm)
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

COUNTYFP

3

String

County FIPS code

MTFCC

5

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FULLNAME

120

String

Complete name associated with the area landmark

AREAID

22

String

Landmark identification number, or Object ID

ANSICODE

8

String

National Standard feature code for the area landmark

PARTFLG

1

String

Part flag

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

10

Date

Effective date or vintage

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification

BAG

3

String

Block area grouping

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Table 48: All Lines (edges)
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

COUNTYFP

3

String

County FIPS code

TLID

10

Number

Permanent Edge ID

TFIDL

10

Number

Permanent Face (Topological Polygon) ID on the left

TFIDR

10

Number

Permanent Face (Topological Polygon) ID on the right

MTFCC

5

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FIDELITY

1

String

Flag indicating to user whether boundary edge has changed through
spatial enhancement

FULLNAME

40

String

Complete name associated with the edge

SMID

22

Number

Spatial metadata ID

SMIDTYPE

1

String

Source attribution for boundary edge: PLSS, Parcel, Surveyed, etc.

RTTYPE

1

String

Route type code

BBSPFLG

1

String

Indicates Redistricting Data Project participant’s request to flag an
edge for selection to hold as boundary for a tabulation block

CBBFLG

1

String

Indicates the status of an edge for selection as tabulation block
boundary

BBSP_2020

1

String

New BBSP flag

CHNG_TYPE

4

String

Type of area update

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification

LTOADD

10

String

Left to address

RTOADD

10

String

Right to address

LFROMADD

10

String

Left from address

RFROMADD

10

String

Right from address

ZIPL

5

String

Left from ZIP Code

ZIPR

5

String

Right from ZIP Code

EXTTYP

1

String

Extension type

MTUPDATE

10

Date

Date of the last update to the edge

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Table 49: Faces (faces)
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

TFID

20

Number

Permanent Face (Topological Polygon) ID

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

COUNTYFP

3

String

County FIPS code

TRIBSUBCE

3

String

Census Bureau tribal subdivision code

TTRACTCE

6

String

Tribal census tract code

TBLKGRPCE

1

String

Tribal census block group code

AIANNHCE

4

String

Census Bureau American Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian
(AIANNH) area code

AIANNHCE20

4

String

2020 Census AIANNH area code

COMPTYP

1

String

Indicates if record is reservation (or equivalent) or off-reservation
trust land portion of AIANNH area

ANRCFP

5

String

Alaska Native Regional Corporation (ANRC) FIPS code

SLDUST

3

String

State Legislative District (SLD) upper chamber code

SLDLST

3

String

SLD lower chamber code

ELSD

5

String

Current federal elementary school district local education agency
(SDLEA) ID number

SCSD

5

String

Current federal secondary school district local education agency
(SDLEA) ID number

UNSD

5

String

Current federal unified school district local education agency
(SDLEA) ID number

SDADM

5

String

Current school district administrative area code

CDFP

2

String

Congressional district code

TRACTCE

6

String

Census tract code

UACE

5

String

Census Bureau urban area code

CBSAFP

5

String

FIPS core based statistical area code

NECTAFP

5

String

FIPS New England city and town area code

BLKGRPCE

1

String

Census block group code

BLOCKCE

4

String

Tabulation block number

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Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

SUFFIX1CE

2

String

Census block suffix 1

SUFFIX2CE

2

String

Census block suffix 2

BAGCE

3

String

Block area grouping

PUMACE20

5

String

Public use microdata area code from 2020

SUBMCDFP

5

String

FIPS 55 sub-minor civil division code

UGACE

5

String

Urban growth area code

STATEFP20

2

String

State FIPS code from 2020

COUNTYFP20

3

String

County FIPS code from 2020

TRACTCE20

6

String

Census tract code from 2020

PLACEFP

5

String

FIPS 55 place code

COUSUBFP

5

String

FIPS 55 county subdivision code

CONCITYFP

5

String

FIPS 55 consolidated city code

CDSESSN

3

String

Congressional district session code

LWFLG

1

String

Land/water flag

Table 50: Hydrography–Area (water)
Attribute Field

Length

Type

Description

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code

COUNTYFP

5

String

County FIPS code

ANSICODE

100

String

National Standard code for hydrography area

MTFCC

8

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FULLNAME

2

String

Complete name associated with the water feature

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

HYDROID

22

String

Object ID

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification

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APPENDIX E

ADDITIONAL GUPS DOCUMENTATION

The Census Bureau recommends the use of the QGIS documentation to supplement
information provided within this appendix. Refer to the QGIS documentation guide on-screen
or download an Adobe Acrobat PDF of the QGIS 3.4 documentation from the following link
.
Note: The QGIS 3.4 documentation is in the “Archived” section at the bottom of the previously listed
link.

The Menu bar, the Standard toolbar, and the SDRP toolbar (Figure 47) are located at the top of
the GUPS page. These toolbars offer general GIS and system tools used to make SDRP updates.
Chapter 5 covers the SDRP toolbar and its functionality.

Figure 47: Menu Bar, Standard Toolbar, and SDRP Toolbar

Note: Although the Menu bar is always located at the top of the page and cannot be moved, the
Standard and SDRP toolbars can be moved to different positions and resized depending on user
preferences.

Hovering over a toolbar button will display a tooltip that provides a name for that tool. The subappendices describe the Menu bar, the Standard toolbar, Table of Contents and its toolbar, and
the Status bar.

E1

Menu Bar

The Menu bar includes top-level, drop-down menus and allows navigation through GUPS using
a standard hierarchical menu. Most relate to QGIS functionality and not GUPS functionality. The
Menu bar, shown in Figure 48 offers basic features to manage the Map View. Almost all the
functions available from the Menu bar are also available in the various toolbars.

Figure 48: Menu Bar

Table 51 defines each of the tabs on the Menu bar, provides an image of the drop-down
options for each, and describes each tab’s function.

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Table 51: Menu Bar Tabs and Their Function/Description
Menu

Menu Option(s)

Function/Description

Project

Provides access and exit
points of the project
file.

Edit

Provides most of the
native tools to edit layer
attributes or geometry.
From the Edit tab, select
Undo to undo the last
action or Redo the
action.
Note: The correct layer
must be selected first
from the Table of
Contents for the edit to
work properly. For
example, if a linear
feature is added to the
Edges layer, then that
layer is deselected by
selecting the faces
layer, Undo will not
delete the linear
feature. The Edges layer
must be selected to
undo the added linear
feature.
Note: Multiple actions
can be undone on a
single layer (e.g., the
addition of several
linear features) if the
project has not been
saved. If the project is
saved, the Undo option
is disabled.

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Menu

Menu Option(s)

Function/Description

View

Provides options for
navigating the map,
identifying feature
attributes, and creating
spatial bookmarks.

Layer

Provides large set of
tools to create new data
sources, add them to a
project, or save
modifications to them.

Settings

Provides tools and
options to manage
profiles, styles,
projections, and
interfaces of the
project.

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Menu

Menu Option(s)

Function/Description

Vector

Provides access to QGIS
Geoprocessing Tools.
These tools include
buffers, area overlay
operations such as
intersection, union, or
symmetrical difference,
as well as other
common geoprocessing
actions.

Raster

Provides common
raster-based GIS tasks
from different
providers.

Web

Provides access to tools
that are QGIS-based.

Processing

Provides access to other
non-GUPS functionality
such as model creation,
viewing the results of
models executed, and
history.

Help

Provides common help
functions for
understanding QGIS.

GUPS

Provides information
about GUPS version
(About GUPS) and
shortcuts to other
common GUPS related
toolbars.
The About GUPS submenu provides the
GUPS version number.
Callers to technical
support need to provide
the version number
with their question.

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E2

Standard Toolbar Buttons

The Standard toolbar, shown in Figure 49 provides the navigation tools to interact with the map
and layers attribute tables.

Figure 49: Standard Toolbar

The Standard toolbar includes three sub-toolbars, identified by the grouping bars or markers on
the toolbar. See Figure 50 for a visual of the markers.

Figure 50: Sub-Toolbar Markers

The first sub-toolbar, the Project toolbar, contains buttons for saving projects, changing map
projects, and managing map projects. The second sub-toolbar, the Map Navigation toolbar,
contains buttons to navigate the Map View. The last sub-toolbar, the Attributes toolbar,
contains buttons to identify, select, and measure elements within the map. To rearrange the
toolbars, press the left mouse button and hold the sub-toolbar marker then drag it to the
desired location within the project. Release the mouse button to set the toolbar in the new
location.
Table 52 provides a visual of each button, the corresponding name, and each button’s
function/description.
Table 52: Standard Toolbar Buttons and Their Function/Description
Button

U.S. Census Bureau

Name

Function/Description

Save

Saves the current GUPS project, including any changes to layer
properties, projection, last viewed extent, and layers added.

Style
Manager

Opens interface that manages symbols, color ramps, texts
formats or label settings.

Map
Management

Provides access to the geographic partnership programs in
GUPS. Map management automatically loads default map
display layers based on the program chosen.

GUPS Data
Settings

Opens window to change the GUPS working directory should
problems occur when loading data. Also allows for deletion of a
program or a project. Warning! This tool deletes files and folders
permanently! Contact the SDRP team if any doubts exist prior to
executing this tool. For more information see the subappendices E2.1 and E2.2.

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Button

U.S. Census Bureau

Name

Function/Description

Import
Custom
Shapefiles

Imports user provided shapefiles to existing project and converts
the shapefile(s) to match the project spatial reference, if
needed. See sub-appendix E2.3.

Pan Map

Shifts the map in the Map View without changing the map scale.
Select the button and then choose a location on the map to recenter the map to the location.

Pan Map to
Selection

Shifts the map in the Map View to the rows selected in the
attribute table for a selected feature. After selecting a feature(s),
select the button to re-center the map based on the selected
feature(s).

Zoom In

Increases the map scale after selecting the Map View and
displays the Map View at a larger scale. Select the button and
then choose a location on the map to zoom into.

Zoom Out

Decreases the map scale after selecting the Map View and
displays the Map View at a smaller scale. Select the button and
then choose a location on the map to zoom out from.

Zoom Full

Displays the map in the Map View at a smaller scale and zooms
to the full extent of the project.

Zoom to
Selection

Zooms to the scale of the feature selected in the Map View or
attribute table.

Zoom to
Layer

Zooms the Map View to the layer selected in the Table of
Contents. After selecting the layer, select the button to zoom to
the layer’s extent.

Zoom Last

Zooms the Map View to the previous map extent.

Zoom Next

Zooms the Map View forward to the next map extent (only if a
previous extent is available.)

New
Bookmark

Creates a spatial bookmark for the given area to ease navigation.
Allows for the naming and saving of the geographic location for
future reference.

Show
Bookmarks

Views and manages spatial bookmarks. Use the mouse to
double-click bookmark name in the Spatial Bookmark window to
zoom to the bookmark.

Refresh

Refreshes Map View at the current extent.

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Button

Name

Function/Description

Identify
Features

Identifies geographic features in the Map View.

Left-click on a feature to identify attributes for a selected layer in
the Table of Contents. Right-click on the map to identify
attributes for all visible layers at that selection point.

E2.1

Select
Features by
Area or Single
Click

Provides options to select layer features in the map window with
a single click, by dragging the cursor, or by drawing graphics on
the screen.

Select
Features by
Value

Provides options to select features by value or expression, as
well as select all features or invert existing feature selection.

Deselect
Features from
All Layers

Deselects selected features from all layers in a single action.

Toolbox

Reveals a Processing Toolbox window with numerous QGIS
processing tasks.

Measure

Provides options to measure linear distance, area, and angles on
the map.

Change the Working Directory

When installing GUPS, the working directory, or GUPSGIS folder, is saved by default in the home
directory (typically this is the My Documents folder) unless the user specifies a different path.
To change the location of the working directory after GUPS has been installed, use the Change
Folder button in the GUPS Data Settings tool as described in Table 53.

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Note: All projects must be closed to change the working directory. If a project is open in GUPS, the
Change Folder button is not active.
Table 53: Steps to Change the Working Directory
Step

Action and Result
After choosing the GUPS Data Settings button, the GUPS Data Settings window appears. Select
the Change Folder button along the upper right side of the window.

Step 1

A notification appears asking the user to check that there are no custom layers in the project.
Custom layers are any data in the project that is stored outside the GUPSGIS data folder, for
example, a reference shapefile. Only layers stored in the GUPSGIS folder are copied through this
action. Select OK.

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Step

Action and Result
The next screen to appear is the Select Directory window. From this screen choose the location for
the new working directory. In this example, the Documents folder is chosen as the new location
for the GUPSGIS data folder. Choose the Select button to continue.

Step 2

Once all files have been copied, GUPS displays a final notification that the move was successful
and that GUPS must be restarted.

Step 3

To confirm that the working directory has been changed, open the GUPS Data Settings tool and
check the folder location that appears for the GUPS Home, Data Location, and Log Location fields.

Step 4

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E2.2

Clean GUPS Data

The GUPS Data Settings tool (Figure 51) offers three clean data options: Clean by Project, Clean
by Program, and Clean All GUPS Data.

Figure 51: GUPS Data Settings Window

The Clean by Project (Figure 52) option allows the user to delete data/files per project. This can
be useful if there is a single project that is no longer needed, or the user would like to restart
the project with the original Census Bureau data. The red dotted highlighted item indicates a
project that is currently in use in GUPS. To delete a project, select the checkbox next to the
project then select Ok. To ensure that all data and files have been deleted, restart QGIS/GUPS
by closing the program and reopening it again.

Figure 52: GUPS Data Settings–Clean by Project

In order to delete all projects associated with a certain program, use the Clean by Program
option (Figure 53). To ensure that all data and files associated with a program are removed,
restart QGIS/GUPS by closing the program and reopening it again.

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Figure 53: GUPS Data Settings–Clean by Program

The final option is to Clean All GUPS Data. As the name implies, this deletes all GUPS data
located in the GUPSGIS data folder in the home directory. This permanently deletes all files and
folders, so once the tool has finished, files and folders cannot be recovered. GUPS should
automatically restart once this clean completes. If GUPS does not automatically restart,
manually restart GUPS to ensure that all data has been deleted. No figure is included to
illustrate this action.

E2.3

Import Custom Shapefiles

GUPS is a full GIS software. It provides all the standard GIS software capabilities including
importing user data. To access the full list of possible user files to import, select Layer from the
Menu bar, then select the sub-menu Add Layer. GUPS also provides a custom tool to import
shapefiles and convert the spatial reference if necessary. Follow the steps in Table 54 to add a
shapefile using the Import Custom Shapefile button on the Standard toolbar.
Table 54: Steps to Import Custom Shapefiles
Step

Action and Result
From the Standard toolbar, select the Import Custom Shapefile button.

Step 1

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Step

Action and Result
A file browser window opens. Browse to the location of the shapefile to import. Select the shapefile
and then select Open.

Step 2

If the selected shapefile has a projection that differs from the default projection set for the project
(NAD83), the tool will display a notification indicating that a difference in projection has been found.
Select Change Projection to convert the imported shapefile to match the NAD83 projection set for
the project and add the layer to the project. Select Cancel to cancel the import and close the tool.

Step 3

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Step

Action and Result
Participants modify the properties of the layer by selecting the layer in the Table of Contents and
using the right mouse button to open Properties for the layer.

Step 4

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Step

Action and Result
The Layer Properties window opens. Modifications can be made to various default properties set for
the added layer.

Step 5

Participants may also “drag and drop” the layer into a different location within the Table of
Contents to change the placement of the layer within the project.
Imported shapefiles are added to the project folder located in the GUPSGIS home directory. The
GUPSGIS home directory is typically located in the My Documents folder. These imported shapefiles
will be included as part of the Zip file created using the Share with Another Participant export (see
sub-section 5.5.1; however, imported shapefiles will not be included when exporting a file for
submission to the Census Bureau.

E3

Table of Contents and Table of Contents Toolbar

GUPS automatically loads a set of default data layers (and default layer groups) defined by the
Census Bureau for the SDRP. As the map opens in Map View, the list of the preset, grouped
layers appears in the Table of Contents. Participants may use the Table of Contents and Table of
Contents toolbar to manage the Map View. See Figure 54 for a visual of the Table of Contents
toolbar.
Using the Table of Contents toolbar, users can add and remove layers or groups, manage map
themes, filter the legend by map content or by expression, expand or collapse all sections of the
Table of Contents list at once and may remove layers/groups. Users may manipulate layers and
symbology in GUPS using basic selection/deselection techniques in the Table of Contents, like
with other GIS software. Manipulation of layers within the Table of Contents may assist with
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viewing information more appropriately in the Map View. Changes made in the Table of
Contents reflect immediately in the Map View.

Figure 54: Table of Contents Toolbar

Table 55 provides a visual of each button, the corresponding name, and each button’s
function/description.
Table 55: Table of Contents Toolbar Buttons and Their Function/Description
Button

Name

Function/Description

Open Layer Styling Panel

Toggles layer styling panel on/off.

Add Group

Organizes layers in the Table of Contents into groups.

Manage Map Themes

Offers modification of views based on layers in the Table
of Contents.

Filter Legend by Map Content

Removes layers not currently in the Map View extent.

Filter Legend by Expression

Removes features from the selected layer tree style that
have no features satisfying a condition/expression.

Expand All

Expands the Table of Contents menus to display all layers
under each group’s menu.

Collapse All

Collapses the Table of Contents menus to only show
groups (not the layers beneath.)

Remove Layer/Group

Removes a layer or group from the Table of Contents.

To manage visibility of individual groups or layers, check the checkbox next to a layer to make
the layer visible (e.g., turn the layer on) in the Map View. Uncheck the checkbox (e.g., turn the
layer off) next to a layer to make the layer invisible in the Map View. This may prove beneficial
if the Map View is cluttered with too many data layers.
To expand the menu for a layer or grouped layer, select the symbol and the sub-menu opens.
Select the symbol to collapse the sub-menu. See Figure 55 for an example of the checkmark
and arrow symbology.
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2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Annotation Phase

E-15

Figure 55: Table of Contents with Layer Checkmarks and Arrows

The order in which the layers appear in the Table of Contents determines the order that the
layers display in the Map View. The layers at the top of the Table of Contents display on top of
the layers that appear below them. While SDRP GUPS is programmed to display data layers in
an order that works for most users, adding imagery or other data layers may require a
reordering of layers for the map elements to appear properly within GUPS. To manage the
order of layers, use the mouse and follow these steps:
1. Select the layer name in the Table of Contents.
2. Hold down the mouse button and drag the layer to the desired position in the Table of Contents.
3. Release the mouse button to place the layer in its new position. The Map View will reflect the
new layer order in the Table of Contents.
IMPORTANT:

E4

Map labels appear at varying scales dependent on the map layer.

Status Bar

The Status bar (Figure 56) at the bottom of the GUPS main page displays information about the
map from the current map scale to mouse cursor coordinates.

Figure 56: Status Bar

Table 56 describes each element of the Status bar.
Table 56: Status Bar Elements and Their Function/Description
Element

Function/Description
This locator bar, a quick search widget, helps find and run any
feature or option in QGIS.

Coordinate

Shows the current position in map coordinates as the mouse moves
across the Map View. The default unit shown is decimal degrees.
Toggles between the coordinate position of the mouse cursor or
the Map View extents as the map is panned and zoomed.

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2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Annotation Phase

E-16

Element
Scale

Function/Description
Shows the ratio between the distance on the map and distance on
the ground based on current map units.
Lock the scale to use the magnifier to zoom in and out.

Magnifier

Defines current magnification level for the Map View. Allows user
to zoom without changing the scale in the Map View, making it
easier to tweak label positions and symbols. Magnification is as
percentage. If 100%, then magnification is not applied to the view.

Rotation

Defines the clockwise rotation for the Map View in degrees.
Temporarily prevent layers from drawing. Enable by selecting the
checkbox immediately to the left of “Render”.
Shows the current coordinate reference system used in the Map
View.
Shows the logs for the GUPS session. The logs include information
about underlying processes related to QGIS startup, plugins loading,
processing tools, etc.

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2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Annotation Phase

E-17

2024 School District Review Program (SDRP) Quick Start Guide
Getting Started
•
•
•

Review this Quick Start Guide and the SDRP Annotation Phase Respondent Guide.
Gather information on any changes to a state’s school districts effective on or before January 1, 2024.
Coordinate with school districts, state education officials, county planners, or State Data Centers to ensure school district
boundaries and attributes are up to date.

Conducting a School District Boundary Review
•
•
•

Review the school districts using the annotation materials.
Compare the Census Bureau’s representation of the school district’s boundary with the local representation of the school
district’s boundary to determine which, if any, school district boundaries need update.
Inform the Census Bureau by email at  if no updates are necessary. Otherwise, review the
table on the second page to determine which updates are reported using the Submission Log or the Geographic Update
Partnership Software (GUPS).

Preparing Updates for the Census Bureau
The Submission Log is a Microsoft Excel file used to report nonspatial and simple school district updates. The file is available for
download from the SDRP website .
•
•
•

Enter the changes on the Submission Log and confirm that attribution for all mandatory fields is accurate and complete.
Zip the Submission Log file and name it “Submission_Log.zip.”
Review Part 3 in the respondent guide for more information on using the Submission Log.

The Geographic Update Partnerships Software (GUPS) is a customized geographic information system software application
provided to participants by the Census Bureau. GUPS is used to report school district updates that involve spatial changes. It is
available for download from the SDRP website .
•
•
•

Use GUPS to view and update school district boundaries.
Validate the work before exporting the file for submission to the Census Bureau. GUPS automatically names the .zip file
during the export process.
Review Part 4 in the respondent guide for more information on using GUPS.

Providing the Updates to the Census Bureau
The Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM) is the official web portal for providing all SDRP updates to the Census Bureau. Review
Part 5 in the respondent guide for details on using SWIM.

SDRP Schedule
•
•
•
•
•

September 2023–Notify the mapping coordinators by email that the Annotation Phase materials are available to download
and review.
October 2023–Provide a free training webinar on responding to the SDRP to mapping coordinators.
December 31, 2023–Deadline for the submission of updated school districts.
April 2024–Review of Verification Phase materials by mapping coordinators.
December 2024–Release of preliminary poverty estimates based on the updated school districts.

SDRP Contact Information
•
•
•

Email: 
Phone: 301-763-1099
SDRP website: 

U.S. Census Bureau

2024 SDRP Quick Start Guide

1

Types of School District Boundary Updates
The table below lists the eleven types of school district updates accepted through the SDRP; a description of the type of update; the
recommended submission method; and where to find more information on each in the respondent guide.
Table 1: Types of Updates

Type of
Update

Update Description

Submission
Method

Respondent Guide
Section

Boundary
Change

Occurs when a school district adds or removes area from the
same school district level or across school district levels.

GUPS

5.3.1–5.3.7

Complex
Consolidation

Occurs when two or more school districts merge to create a new
school district with a new name and new federal school district
local education agency (SDLEA) ID number, along with additional
boundary changes. Note: The Census Bureau expects
accompanying boundary changes for the new school district.

GUPS

5.3.8

Complex
Dissolution

Occurs when a single school district dissolves its area between
two or more existing school districts, with or without additional
boundary changes. Complex dissolutions do not create new
school districts, and the names and SDLEA ID numbers of the
receiving school districts remain unchanged.

GUPS

5.3.9

Federal SDLEA
Number ID
Changes

Occurs when correcting a SDLEA ID number.

Submission
Log

3.3

Grade Range
Change

Occurs when a school district changes the grades it covers; for
example, changing from covering 9–12 to 7–12.

Submission
Log

3.2

Level Change

Occurs when a school district changes classification; for
example, changing from elementary to unified.

Submission
Log

3.4

Name Change

Occurs when a school district changes its name; for example,
changing from Oak Union Unified School District to Oak Union
School District.

Submission
Log

3.1

New District

Occurs when transferring area from one or more existing school
districts to form a completely new school district.

GUPS

5.3.10

Pseudo School
District

Occurs when one school district pays for the educational
services for a set of grades in a different geographic area than its
own.

Contact
Census
Bureau

Appendix A1

Simple
Consolidation

Occurs when two or more school districts merge to create a new
school district with a new name and new SDLEA ID number, with
no additional boundary changes.

Submission
Log

3.5

Simple
Dissolution

Occurs when one or more existing school districts are entirely
absorbed by one other existing school district. Note: simple
dissolutions retain the name and SDLEA ID number of the
receiving school district, and do not create a new school district.

Submission
Log

3.6

U.S. Census Bureau

2024 SDRP Quick Start Guide

2

September 2023
Dear Mapping Coordinator:
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sponsors the School District Review Program (SDRP),
enabling the U.S. Census Bureau to create poverty and population estimates by school district geography.
The poverty and population estimates produced by the Census Bureau are of vital importance for each state’s
allocation under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as amended (Public Law
114-95).
The 2024 SDRP annotation materials are posted on the SDRP website. The materials include the quick start
and respondent guides, the Geographic Update Partnership Software, school district inventory listing files, a
submission log file, and school district boundary shapefiles. Please review the posted materials and update
the following information, if necessary:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Census Bureau school district boundaries;
School district names;
School district levels;
Federal school district local education agency (SDLEA) ID numbers;
Grade ranges for allocating children if two school districts occupy the same area;
Counties in which school districts are located; and
Relationships where school districts are coextensive with other legal areas such as counties, cities,
towns, and townships.

The Census Bureau requests that the state’s SDRP submission reflect the school districts, as they will exist on
January 1, 2024. The deadline for submitting updates to the Census Bureau is December 31, 2023. If you have
any questions about the SDRP, please contact the Census Bureau by telephone at 301-763-1099 or by email
at .
Sincerely,

Deirdre Dalpiaz Bishop
Chief, Geography Division
cc: State Title I Coordinator
We estimate that participating in the School District Review Program will take 40 hours on average. Send comments regarding
this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to
. This collection has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The eight-digit
OMB approval number that appears at the upper left of this document confirms this approval. If this number were not displayed,
we could not conduct this program. The Census Bureau’s legal authority for conducting activities in this document comes from
Title 13 U.S. Code, Sections 16, 141, and 193. The NCES’ legal authority for conducting activities in this document comes from
Title I, Part A of the ESEA as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Public Law 114-95.

census.gov

2024 School District Review Program (SDRP)
Respondent Guide: Verification Phase
September 2023

This page intentionally left blank.

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2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... iii
A.

Overview ..........................................................................................................................iii

B.

SDRP Verification Phase Materials ..................................................................................iii

C.

Respondent Guide Organization......................................................................................iii

Conducting Verification Phase Review ................................................................................... 1
1.1

Using the School District Listing Files .............................................................................. 1

1.1.1 Verification Inventory Changes File ............................................................................ 1
1.2

Using the Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS) .......................................... 2

1.2.1 Starting a Verification Phase Project........................................................................... 3
1.2.2 Conducting the Verification Review ............................................................................ 7

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Data Dictionary for the Verification Inventory Changes File ............................................ 2
Table 2: Steps to Open GUPS and Start a New SDRP Verification Phase Project ........................... 3
Table 3: Steps to Verify the Annotation Phase Updates with the Review Change Polygons Tool . 7

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2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

ii

INTRODUCTION
A.

Overview

The U.S. Census Bureau completed processing of the School District Review Program (SDRP)
Annotation Phase submissions and is now ready to begin the Verification Phase. During
verification, the mapping coordinator is responsible for reviewing and confirming the changes
that appear in the verification materials and notifying the Census Bureau if updates are needed.
No new updates to school districts are accepted during verification.
By the deadline listed in the Verification Phase email notification, mapping coordinators should
notify the Census Bureau’s SDRP team of their agreement or inform them of the need for
updates. If no response is received by the deadline, the SDRP team assumes acceptance of their
work. Notification to the SDRP team can be made by calling 301-763-1099 or by emailing
. If updates are needed, the SDRP team will work with the mapping
coordinator to evaluate the proposed updates and determine the best method for submission.

B.

SDRP Verification Phase Materials

Verification materials are available to all mapping coordinators who met the Annotation Phase
deadline of December 31st. All materials necessary to participate in the Verification Phase are
available for download from the SDRP website: . In addition, general information about the SDRP is
on the main SDRP website: .

C.

Respondent Guide Organization

The information provided in this guide enhances the instructions provided in the 2024 School
District Review Program Respondent Guide: Annotation Phase, i.e., the Annotation Phase
respondent guide. To reduce repetition of instruction, this guide only includes details for
completing this phase of SDRP. If, after consulting with the SDRP team, updates are necessary,
mapping coordinators may need to refer to both guides to complete their updates.

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2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

iii

CONDUCTING VERIFICATION PHASE REVIEW
To verify the updates submitted during the Annotation Phase were processed correctly and are
accurately represented in the Census Bureau’s Master Address File/Topologically Integrated
Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) System, follow the instructions in this guide
to conduct a verification review of the listing files and school district boundaries.

1.1

Using the School District Listing Files

As for the Annotation Phase, the Census Bureau produces Microsoft Excel® (.xls) format files for
the Verification Phase. The listing file names will be followed by “_V”; e.g.,
_SD_Inventory_V.xls where  represents the two-digit State Federal Information
Processing Standards (FIPS) code. Except for the Verification Inventory Changes file, the other
four listing files are defined in section 1.4 and detailed in appendix B of the Annotation Phase
respondent guide.
The Census Bureau requests that mapping coordinators review relevant listings for their state.
•

Inventory and Grade Range File (All States) – This file, “_SD_Inventory_V.xls”, is a listing of
all 2024 school districts recognized by the Census Bureau and includes the school district name,
Federal School District Local Education Agency (SDLEA) ID number, level, type, and grade range.

•

County Coverage File (All States) – This file, “_County_Coverage_V.xls”, is a listing of all
school districts for each county, sorted by county. There is a separate record for each unique
school district/county combination.

•

Legal Entity Coextensive Coverage File (Limited States) – Only the states that had this listing file
for the Annotation Phase will have a corresponding file for verification. This file,
“_Coextensive_Coverage_V.xls” is a listing of school districts that are coextensive with legal
entities such as counties, county equivalents, or incorporated places.

•

School District to Geography (SD/GEO) Relationship File (Limited States) – Only the states that
had this listing file for the Annotation Phase will have a corresponding file for verification. This
file, “_SD_GEO_Relationship_V.xls”, is a listing of school districts that are commonly
coextensive with one or more incorporated place and/or county subdivision (town, township,
borough, etc.).

•

Verification Inventory Changes File (States with Inventory and Grade Range file changes from
the Annotation Phase) – This file, “_SD_Inventory_Change_V.xls”, is a listing that compares
the Inventory and Grade Range Listing file (_SD_Inventory_Change_V.xls) to the Inventory
and Grade Range Listing from the Annotation Phase (_SD_Inventory_Change_A.xls) by
SDLEA. See section 1.1.1 for details.

1.1.1

Verification Inventory Changes File

This listing provides state officials with a means to quickly review inventory changes to their
school district inventory after the Census Bureau applied their Annotation Phase updates to the
MAF/TIGER System. This file consists of change type, state FIPS code, SDLEA code, school
district name, low grade, high grade, and school district level for each school district that had an
inventory change.

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2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

1

Note: Only new districts, deleted districts, and attribute changes are reflected in the Verification
Inventory Changes file. No file is created if a state submitted only a boundary correction(s).

Table 1 describes the fields in the file, their length, data type, a brief description of the field,
and the valid value range.
Table 1: Data Dictionary for the Verification Inventory Changes File
Attribute
Field

Length

Type

Description

Value/Range

CHANGE
TYPE

12

VARCHAR

Type of change

NEW, DELETED, NAME,
LEVEL, LOGRADE,
HIGRADE

STATE
CODE

2

VARCHAR

State FIPS (Federal Information
Processing Standards) code

01, 02, 04-06, 08-13,
15-42, 44-51, 53-56

SDLEA

5

VARCHAR

Federal school district local education
agency (SDLEA) ID number

00001-99998

NAME

100

VARCHAR

School district name

Not Blank

LOGRADE

2

VARCHAR

School district low grade

PK, KG, 01-11

HIGRADE

2

VARCHAR

School district high grade

PK, KG, 01-12

SDLEVEL

1

VARCHAR

School district level

E=Elementary;
S=Secondary;
U=Unified;
A=Administrative Area

If the listing files are correct, proceed with a review of the boundaries using the Geographic
Update Partnership Software (GUPS) as detailed in section 1.2. If the listing files do not reflect
the updates submitted during the Annotation Phase or are otherwise incorrect, please contact
the SDRP team at the conclusion of your boundary review to report the discrepancies and
receive further instruction.

1.2

Using the Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS)

With the listing files review complete, the next step is to complete a review of the school
district boundaries that were submitted for processing during the Annotation Phase. Follow the
instructions in the next two sections and refer to the Annotation Phase respondent guide for
more thorough guidance on using GUPS to complete this review.

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2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

2

Note: Mapping coordinators who prefer to conduct their verification review using their own
geographic information system (GIS) can download the Census partnership shapefiles from the
Census Bureau’s ftp site . From that location, select the
appropriate state folder to locate the version required for the 2024 SDRP Verification Phase,
partnership_shapefiles_24v0_.zip, where ST represents the two-digit Federal Information
Processing Series (FIPS) state code. For example, if Alabama wants to use their own GIS, the
mapping coordinator would download partnership_shapefiles_24v0_01.zip to their local system
and unzip the file to begin their review.

1.2.1

Starting a Verification Phase Project

While the GUPS version does not need to be updated for the Verification Phase, a new project
must be created to conduct a review of the boundary updates from the Annotation Phase.
Follow the steps in Table 2 to open GUPS and start a new project.
Table 2: Steps to Open GUPS and Start a New SDRP Verification Phase Project
Step

Action and Result
Select QGIS3 or QGIS Desktop 3.4.4 from the Start Menu. The QGIS splash screen appears.

Step 1

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2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

3

Step

Action and Result
The Map Management window appears.

Step 2

If the Map Management window does not appear, choose the Map Management button from
the Standard toolbar (shown below highlighted by a red rectangle). If the Map Management
button does not exist in the Standard toolbar, contact the SDRP team at
 for assistance.

U.S. Census Bureau

2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

4

Step

Action and Result
In the Map Management window, use the drop-down menu next to the Program field to select
School District Review Program Verification and then select School District Review by State for
the Sub Program field.

Step 3

In the State field, use the drop-down menu to select a state. Use the scroll bar to move up and
down the list of states. This example uses Minnesota.

Step 4

Step 5

U.S. Census Bureau

After selecting a state, GUPS refreshes the Map Management window and automatically
highlights all available counties for the state of Minnesota. Select Open.

2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

5

Step

Action and Result

The Select Data Folder, Directory or Location window opens.

Step 6

GUPS only prompts for a data download location once per project. When a project has been
closed and reopened, the shapefiles automatically load, even if no changes were made during
the first session.

U.S. Census Bureau

2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

6

Step

Action and Result
A secondary Map Management window appears to select the data source. From this secondary
Map Management window, choose Census Web to download the shapefile data layers with
preset symbology and labels directly into GUPS.

Step 7

Proceed to the next section for instructions on conducting the verification review.

1.2.2

Conducting the Verification Review

Verification involves reviewing the school district boundaries to ensure the Census Bureau
accurately and completely captured the updates submitted by mapping coordinators. In GUPS,
the Review Change Polygons tool is used to identify areas where updates were submitted.
Follow the steps in Table 3 to verify the accuracy of the school district boundaries. Refer to
table 27 in the Annotation Phase respondent guide for additional details.
Table 3: Steps to Verify the Annotation Phase Updates with the Review Change Polygons Tool
Step

Action and Result
Select the Review Change Polygons tool from the SDRP toolbar.

The Review Change Polygons window opens.

Step 1

The window includes two radio buttons: Annotation and Verification. Annotation is selected by
default and is used to review the changes made during the Annotation Phase. To see changes
made during the verification review, change the button to Verification.
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2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

7

Step

Action and Result
From the Geography drop-down menu select the school district level to review. This example
uses Unified School District.

Step 2

The Review Change Polygons window populates with a list of Unified School District updates
from the Annotation Phase. Each record represents an update that added area.

Step 3

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2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

8

Step

Action and Result
Select a record from the list. The Map View zooms to the extent of the selected record.

Step 4

Review the selected school district by panning or zooming around the boundary to confirm it
accurately reflects the requested update from the Annotation Phase.
Step 5

Review each record in the list. If updates were made to the other two types of school districts
(Elementary School District and Secondary School District), change the Geography drop-down
selection to review the next type of school district in the same manner described above.

If the boundaries are correct and there are no discrepancies with the listing files, please notify
the SDRP team by email to  of your agreement. If the boundaries do
not reflect the updates submitted during the Annotation Phase or are otherwise incorrect
and/or the listing files contain discrepancies, please contact the SDRP team by emailing
 or by calling 301-763-1099 for further instruction.

U.S. Census Bureau

2024 SDRP Respondent Guide: Verification Phase

9


File Typeapplication/pdf
File TitleSDRP NSC Annotation and Verification Phase Materials August 2023
AuthorU.S. Census Bureau
File Modified2023-08-17
File Created2023-08-17

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