Knowledgebase

How accurate are NTEE codes? (FAQ)


There are several measures of accuracy. One is to measure the extent to which two coders, working independently, would code the same organization with the same code. At the major group level (A-Z), we find 80% intercoder reliability. A more "permissive" approach rates classifications on whether they are plausible. This approach yields substantially higher accuracy rates.

These measures varies substantially across major groups with human services being the most difficult to classify at a major group level.

The numbers themselves do not tell the whole story of the accuracy of coding with the NTEE. Classifications system, in general, and the NTEE in particular, are created to impose order and make sense out of an oftentimes disparate universe. The choices made about which codes go where can be puzzling. Sometimes, there is a finer line between codes across Major Groups than within Major Groups. For example, residential services for the elderly can be found in both health care and human services depending on the type of service. A nursing home, for example, is classified under health care (E91) while a Senior Continuing Care Community is classified under Human Services (P75) yet they share many similar characteristics.


Added 03/05/2002 by tpollak, Modified 05/25/2006 by jauer

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