Introduction

The Common Data Set Initiative is a collaborative effort between publishers and the educational community to improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student's transition into higher education, as well as to reduce the burden on colleges of compiling and reporting information. The goal is to develop clear, standard questions and definitions to determine the specific cohort to which each question relates, while refraining from the compilation of a single survey instrument or universal set of survey questions. Questions and definitions used by the U.S. Department of Education in its college surveys are a guide in the development of CDS items. Common Data Set items undergo broad review by secondary schools and two- and four-year colleges.