StatewideLongitudinalData Systems

SLDS Grant ProgramNancy Smith, Director

Tate Gould, Program OfficerEmily Anthony, Program Officer

Goals of Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDSs)

http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/SLDS

• evaluate teacher programs to improve instruction• know if graduates have skills to succeed in

postsecondary and/or workforce• simplify local, state, and federal reporting• support informed decision-making for all educators

SLDS can help states…

evaluate various education programs

How program participation relates to high school graduationStudents’ success with transitions to postsecondary institutions Effective teacher instruction programs

develop early warning indicator systems

Use key variables to identify at-risk students by program, teacher, school

Ss

To date, 41 states and the District of Columbia have been awarded SLDS grants totaling $265 million:

• FY06: November 2005 – 14 grantees awarded over $52 million

• FY07: June 2007 – 13 grantees awarded over $62 million

• FY09: April 2009 – 27 grantees awarded over $150 million

• FY09 ARRA: July 2009 – Fourth competition announced under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will make an additional $245 million available

FY06

FY07

FY09

FY09ARRA

Awards To Date:(Dollars in millions)

What’s happening with SLDSs?

Grantee States

http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/SLDS

Grantee Progress: Postsecondary Data Integration

Operational

In Progress

Not Begun

Not Planned

Florida Massachusetts

• Arizona• Arkansas• California• Illinois• Indiana• Kansas• Kentucky

Texas Washington

• Maine• Minnesota• New Hampshire• North Dakota• Pennsylvania• Utah• Virginia

http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/SLDS

Grantee Progress: Labor/Workforce Data Integration

Operational

In Progress

Not Begun

Not Planned

Alaska Florida

Texas Washington

• Arkansas• Indiana• Minnesota

• New Hampshire• South Carolina

Next Steps for SLDSAllow for reliable connections to early childhood,

postsecondary and labor dataConnect teachers and students to understand teacher impactProvide data access to research community and public

stakeholdersFigure out how to build data structures for seamless transfers of

student records across state linesData use at all levels of education

http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/SLDS

Elements of Longitudinal Data Systems (America Competes Act)

1. Student Enrollment Information

2. Information on Graduates, Transfers, Dropouts

3. State Assessment Scores

4. Information on Students Not Tested

5. College-Readiness Test Scores

6. A Teacher Identifier System

7. Student Transcript Information

8. Data on Student Transition and Success in College

9. Data on Preparation for Success in Postsecondary Education

10. An Audit System to Ensure Data Quality

11. Ability to Share Data from Preschool Through College

12. Unique Student Identifiers

SLDS Program Evolution

Successful Strategies for SLDS Development: Lessons Learned

“It’s not just an IT project”

“Communicate up and out”

“State-managed, locally-operated”

“Know who’s in charge”

http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/SLDS

Contact InformationWebsite: http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/SLDS/

Program Staff: Nancy J. Smith, PhD Director, Longitudinal Data Systems Initiative Nancy.Smith@ed.gov, 202-502-7360 Tate Gould, PhD Project Officer, SLDS Grant Program Tate.Gould@ed.gov, 202-219-7080 Emily Anthony Project Officer, SLDS Grant Program Emily.Anthony@ed.gov, 202-502-7495

http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/SLDS

TECHNICAL CHALLENGES OF STATEWIDE DATA SYSTEMS

Stanley Rabinowitz, Ph.D.WestEd AACC

srabino@wested.org

Education Reform: Building Coherence with ARRA FundsDecember 18, 2009

Phoenix AZ

1

What technical challenges do states face when building longitudinal data systems?

Reliability—is the indicator accurate?Validity—does the indicator measure what it purports

to?Feasibility—is the indicator reasonable to collect?User friendly—is the indicator accessible across range

of audiences and purposes?

1

How should states decide when to include specific data elements?

Value vs. Burden—is the indicator worth the time and cost to collect?

Incremental validity—does the indicator add significantly to the overall picture of a student? school? system?

Coherence—does the collection of indicators comprise a system?

Esto Cuenta?Will this count?

Snapshot DataAre my students meeting the state’s

proficiency standard? Which students are not?What proportion of my students are not tested,

why?How can I find promising programs?

Longitudinal DataAre my students improving over time?What is the average academic growth of my

student subgroups over time?How can my elementary school help middle

schools and high schools improve student educational outcomes?

TESTING STATUS FREQUENCY % of CLASS

Tested with Valid Score

90 90%

Alternative Test 3 3%

English Language Learner

5 5%

Other (absent, etc) 2 2%

Table 1. Knowles’ 5th Grade TAKS Reading Simulated Test

Participation (n =100)

Source: Tapping into the Power of Longitudinal Data: A Guide for School Leaders, Data Quality Campaign

Figure 1 Simulated Longitudinal Data on Student Performance on Mathematics Assessment (n = 50)

Source: Tapping into the Power of Longitudinal Data: A Guide for School Leaders, Data Quality Campaign.

Todo cuenta, porque tu cuentas.

It all counts, because you count.