Mask small table cells (fewer than five students) when publishing study data¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The agreement's Privacy Measures definition instructs receiving parties publishing tables to use cell suppression and other disclosure avoidance methods so students cannot be identified through small numbers displayed in table cells. Specifically, any cell containing fewer than five students must be masked, and further masking may be required to prevent re-identification by pairing with other available data. This is an implementable reporting rule for any education study publishing results derived from student data.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• The receiving party must apply masking before publication and the disclosing party retains a right to review data prior to publication to verify disclosure avoidance techniques.

Constraints¶

• The rule applies to published tables of study data under this agreement; the article notes further masking may be required beyond the five-student threshold.

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students whose data appear in published study tables

Target Learning Goals¶

• Preventing re-identification of students in published educational research outputs

Related Strategies¶

• Return or destroy shared education records within 60 days of the agreement's end
• Procurement should demand operational privacy evidence and use the five-dimension audit rubric for comparison

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Lastinger Center for Learning, University of Florida. (2024). Guidance and Agreement for Data harmony, Responsibility, Retention, and Sharing (GADRRS). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/