This paper documents a successful methodology for the validation of data in general and for evaluating educational finance data in particular. The report addresses the errors found as a result of the independent completion of Part B-1 of the Elementary-Secondary General Information System (ELSEGIS)--the Local Education Agency Fiscal Report. This survey collects data on beginning balances, revenues, expenditures, and ending balances from a sample of 2,500 school districts across the country. No discussions of the value of the instrument or the data reported there are provided. While all errors discovered are reported, the major focus is on systematic errors, those errors by type or data element that appear with great frequency. This study is significant in that it shows the magnitude and direction of the errors that may enter a large-scale survey and the steps that could be taken to avoid them. Awareness of the types of errors that may be encountered in a survey could permit a researcher to design his data collection system so that more accurate data could be obtained. (Author/DN)