Tag Archives: State Longitudinal Data Systems

Applications for New Awards; Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Program

Posted on by

3/12/2015

Purpose of Program: The Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Program awards grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to design, develop, and implement Statewide longitudinal data systems to efficiently and accurately manage, analyze, disaggregate, and use individual student data. The Department’s long-term goal in operating the program is to help all States create comprehensive P-20W (early learning through workforce) systems that foster the generation and use of accurate and timely data, support analysis and informed decision-making at all levels of the education system, increase the efficiency with which data may be analyzed to support the continuous improvement of education services and outcomes, facilitate research to improve student academic achievement and close achievement gaps, support education accountability systems, and simplify the processes used by SEAs to make education data transparent through Federal and public reporting.

Priorities: Over the past decade, States have made a great deal of progress in developing Statewide longitudinal data systems, most of them with the assistance of SLDS Program funds. This competition will focus on enhancing States’ capacity to use those systems to identify problems and drive improvement efforts. States may apply for funds to address up to two of the priority data use cases described in this section. SEAs may apply for grants selecting up to two of the following data use priorities:

  1. Financial Equity and Return on Investment;
  2. Educator Talent Management;
  3. Early Learning;
  4. College and Career;
  5. Evaluation and Research; or
  6. Instructional Support.

Grants will not be made available to support ongoing maintenance of data systems. Use of data supported by these grants must be in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, as well as any other applicable Federal and State laws or regulations concerning the confidentiality of individual records.

An SEA may submit only one application under this competition.

Source: Federal Register

Available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/03/12/2015-05682/applications-for-new-awards-statewide-longitudinal-data-systems-program

Improving Data, Improving Outcomes Conference

Posted on by

Who is sponsoring the meeting?

The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems DaSy, along with the IDEA Data Center IDC and the Early Childhood Technical Assistance ECTA Center will be hosting a national meeting Improving Data, Improving Outcomes in New Orleans, LA on September 8 – 10, 2014.

What is the focus of the meeting?

The meeting combines issues related to the development or enhancement of Part C, Section 619, and/or coordinated early childhood data systems; improvement of data quality; and the measurement and use of child and family outcomes data in order to make data informed decisions. National frameworks and products and states experiences and resources for improving data systems and systems of services will be highlighted.

Who is the intended audience?

It is designed for Part C and 619 coordinators, Part C and Part B data managers, and SICC chairs, and others working on EC data systems, Part C/619 outcomes, and improving service systems and practices such state TA providers and families. National TA providers and OSEP representatives will also participate and benefit from the meeting.

Are there funds available to support travel?

Funds are available to support travel and expenses for Part C and 619 coordinators and Part C and Part B data managers.Questions?Contact Kellen Reid at 919 843-6469 or via email at kellen.reid@unc.edu

Source:  Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems DaSy, along with the IDEA Data Center IDC and the Early Childhood Technical Assistance ECTA Center

Available at: http://ectacenter.org/~meetings/data2014/mtghomepage.asp

Webinar Summary: Confidentiality Issues: Addressing Questions about Sharing Data among Organizations

Posted on by

This document summarizes ELC TAs April 2014 webinar, Confidentiality Issues: Addressing Questions about Sharing Data among Organizations. Baron Rodriguez from the Education Data Technical Assistance Program presented on common questions and considerations related to sharing data about children for example, when inputting of developmental screening results and other sensitive child-level data into a statewide database.

Source: Early Learning Challenge Technical Assistance Center

Available at: https://elc.grads360.org/#communities/pdc/documents/5083

Common Education Data Standards (CEDS)

Posted on by

While education institutions across the P-20W (early learning through postsecondary and workforce) environment use many different data standards to meet information needs, there are certain data we all need to be able to understand, compare, and exchange in an accurate, timely, and consistent manner. For these, we need a shared vocabulary for education data—that is, we need common education data standards. The Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) project is a national collaborative effort to develop voluntary, common data standards for a key set of education data elements to streamline the exchange, comparison, and understanding of data within and across P-20W institutions and sectors.

What are the Parts of the Standard?

The CEDS “standards” are comprised of several pieces of information that provide context for and describe data items within CEDS:

  • Domain
  • Entity
  • Categories
  • Element
  • Option Set
  • Related Connections
  • Alternative names and other notes
  • Technical Name
  • XML Schema
  • Viewing and Interacting with CEDS

By element: Via the Elements page, users can access a searchable glossary of the CEDS “vocabulary,” including names, definitions, option sets, technical specifications, and more.

By relationship: Through the CEDS Data Model, users can explore the relationships that exist among entities and elements—viewable both through a Domain Entity Schema and a Normalized Data Schema.

By comparison: In addition to these two ways of viewing the standards, supplemental tools enable users to take the next step and put CEDS into practice. The CEDS Alignment Tool allows a user to load his or her organization’s data dictionary and compare it, in detail, to CEDS and the data dictionaries of other users’ organizations. This facilitates alignment with CEDS and across systems, paving the way for easier sharing and comparison of data. The CEDS Connect Tool is an innovative tool that allows users to find and create “Connections” from unit-level data elements (variables) to practical applications across the P-20W environment.

CEDS is NOT:

  • Required: Adoption of CEDS is voluntary.
  • All or nothing: Not all CEDS elements have to be utilized to realize benefits.
  • A data collection: CEDS collects no data.
  • An implementation: There is no single implementation that will work for every user. Physical implementation decisions will be made by practitioners and solution providers in the field based on their specific objectives.
  • Solely an ED undertaking: NCES is developing these standards with a group of stakeholders and publishes drafts for several public review cycles.
  • A federal unit record system: CEDS is not a student record system.

Source: Common Education Data Standards (CEDS)

Available at: https://ceds.ed.gov/