In this handbook, "Prior-to-Secondary School Course Classification System: School Codes for the Exchange of Data" (SCED), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the National Forum on Education Statistics have extended the existing secondary course classification system with codes and descriptions for courses offered at lower grade levels to facilitate student record transfer for all students. Like the school codes at the secondary level, the elementary- and middle-grade course descriptions are written in a general way so that users can map their specific courses to a common code. It is not expected that the course titles and descriptions will replace those used by states or school districts. Readers should keep several considerations in mind as they review or use the prior-to-secondary course codes: (1) The distinction between "prior-to-secondary" and "secondary" courses does not necessarily imply any specific grade level. Elementary course descriptions include the option of content-area-specific (e.g., fourth-grade mathematics) as well as nonsubject-specific (e.g., first-grade) courses for schools that do not distinguish subject areas at the elementary level. The middle school courses are generally modified versions of secondary courses, but do not include the "available credit" component. The secondary courses carry codes that include available credit for the course; (2) The elementary- and middle-grade course descriptions are drawn from existing state and school district course catalogs or descriptions. The course descriptions reflect what is widely taught; they do not attempt to incorporate emerging curriculum standards or potential courses. This principle also guided the development of the secondary codes; and (3) The elementary- and middle-grade course descriptions provide detail on courses that a student might take. Although they may describe the courses that a teacher teaches, their purpose is to make student transcripts and school course catalogs more comparable. Appendices include: (1) List of Prior-to-Secondary SCED Course Titles and Codes, in Numeric Order; (2) State Use of Prior-to-Secondary Course Codes; and (3) Forum and Other NCES Resources. (Contains 2 exhibits.)