Frequently Asked Questions
Why do some school districts show "No data"?
A school district may contain "No data" for two reasons: (1) the data source did not have data for the district, or (2) the data value has been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals with whom the variable is associated. In the Texas Education Atlas these changed values are grouped into "No data."
How can I search for a particular indicator instead of scrolling through the long lists of indicators?
Click on the search icon above the box of indicators, top left-hand corner of screen, that will launch a pop-up box. Type the indicator name or beginning letters into the top line of the pop-up box that will then find the particular indicator.
What is the fastest way to find a school district or institution of higher education?
In the top right-hand corner of the screen, click on the first area in the list to select it. Type the first one or two letters of the school in the list to jump to that item. For example, if the list is school districts, press the letter B to jump to districts starting with B.
How do I change map colors?
Click on a color in the legend displays a Color Selection panel that allows changing color themes.
How do I change the data ranges (class intervals) in the legend?
Click on the top or bottom value in the map legend data range (class intervals) enables the adjustment of that specific map data range. The pop-up box allows an increase or decrease in the value, or to enter a new value. The program adjusts automatically to 3–9 data ranges.
How should I handle the difference between absolute and ratio data when creating maps?
When mapping an indicator with totals, users should click the Options and Appearance button at the lower left of the main screen and check the “Legend: estimate best value distribution” box under the Map tab. This box should be left unchecked for ratio indicators (percentages, rates) to structure visually the data in a more effective way.
How do I access the data used in the atlas?
Click the Table button in the bottom-left corner of the screen to obtain a data table of the selected indicator. If an indicator has been bookmarked, the data for both the bookmarked and selected indicator are displayed. Then, click the Save Table button (top right-hand corner of the Table panel) to save the table as a CSV file.
How can I export data for statistical analysis?
The Save/Export button is located in the bottom-left corner of the screen. This button saves the current map or graph as an image or downloads the data as a CSV file.
How do I see changes over time using the time slider?
Click on the arrows on either side of the time slider or use years on the time slider to navigate to the date of interest. Click the Play button next to the time slider to watch the data change over the years through animation (e.g. 2004–2013 for K-12 Snapshot data).
How can I create a two-indicator map?
Click the Star button in the Indicators panel to bookmark the selected indicator. The bookmarked indicator remains even when switching to another category. This action allows for (1) creating Scatter Plot graphs, (2) comparing the bookmarked indicator with indicators from other categories, or (3) comparing two indicators through the choropleth map (displaying the selected indicator) and the proportional symbol map (showing the bookmarked indicator).
Why do the data for 2013 in the SAT Average indicator look different from 2004–2012?
The range of the SAT score changed in 2012. Before 2013 the range was 400–1600, and after 2012, the range was 600–2400.