In Class reports, all results and demographics are based on students’ responses from that specific class. Students’ responses in different classes never influence what’s shown in a class report.
In contrast, Community and Network reports integrate data from multiple classes. This can complicate sample size calculations because the same student might get surveyed in multiple classes. The same student might even change the way they describe themselves in different classes. For example, a student might identify as male in one class and then, when surveyed later in a different class, identify as nonbinary.
This is how PERTS calculates sample sizes in community and network reports:
Total: The total number of students is based on the number of unique Roster IDs (which are usually emails).
Gender: If a student identifies with different genders in different classes, they will be counted as “Unknown or Nonbinary/Other gender” in the sample size table.
Race: If a student identifies with a structurally disadvantaged racial group in any class in a community, they will be considered a member of a structurally disadvantaged racial group.
Financial Stress: If a student reports financial stress in any Class in a Community, they will be considered financially stressed.
Focal Group: Each class can set its own Focal Group (e.g., “boys of color” and “English Learners”). Therefore, a student may be in the Focal Group in one class and not in other classes. Students are therefore listed as being members of the Focal Group in no classes, all classes, or some classes.