1. The Ideal State Postsecondary Data System 15 Essential Characteristics and Required Functionality
Hans P. L’Orange
State Higher Education Executive Officers
Camille Brown
South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
John Porter
State University of New York
April 18, 2008
Rather provocative title but I’m going to lay out what I believe the ideal state postsecondary data system would look like.
That will be followed by some reaction and comments from Camille Brown and John Porter who were participants in a meeting two weeks ago that first discussed these characteristics.

2. Framing thoughts…
Moving from a sorting and selecting system of higher education to……
….An environment designed to increase overall capacity.
The world of higher education is changing and data are applying a role in those changes.

3. Data are needed to document the achievements of students, schools, and colleges:
What does the overall “flow” of students through the pipeline look like?
What experiences affect student success?
What facilitates successful student transitions?
There are many questions that data can address but these are just three of the more critical.

4. State Student Unit Record Systems
An individual electronic record for each student enrolled for each term
Collect a range of demographic and performance data at regular intervals
Can be merged with other files to investigate student behavior and success
Certain characteristics and functionality are essential in the ideal system
Interest is high and growing
The Secretary’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education talks about the value of state data systems.
HEA SB 1642 refers to a state pilot program supporting 5 states in their efforts to develop state data systems
The recent proposed changes to FERPA reference the development and use of state data systems.
Proposed expansion of the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) grant program mentioned by Commissioner Schneider yesterday is designed to develop and enhance state data systems with a particular focus on K-16 alignment.

5. DQC 10 Essential Elements
Unique statewide student identifier
Student-level enrollment, demographic and program participation information
Ability to match individual students’ test records from year to year to measure growth
Information on untested students
Teacher identifier system with ability to match teachers to students
Student-level transcript information, including information on courses completed and grades earned
Student-level college readiness test scores
Student-level graduation and dropout data
Ability to match student records between the Pre-K-12 and post-secondary systems
State data audit system assessing data quality, validity, and reliability
The Data Quality Campaign has very effectively drawn interest from many on the value of statewide data.
DQC is designed to build support and political will among policy makers to:
Fully develop high-quality longitudinal data systems in every state by 2009
Increase understanding and promote the valuable uses of longitudinal and financial data to improve student achievement
Promote, develop, and use common data standards and efficient data transfer and exchange
DQC can be boiled down to the 10 Essential Elements

6. Characteristics of an Ideal State Postsecondary Data System
Student Characteristics
A unique privacy protected id
Common Enrollment, Completion, and Demographic data
Financial Aid data
Transfer data
Persistence and Graduation data
NCHEMS and SHEEO project
Started as a parallel to DQC 10 Essential Elements
As mentioned earlier, there is a lot of interest in state data systems but 50 different systems is problematic.
This is an attempt to provide some common framework
Very much under development and being placed in the community for comment and reaction
Not dictating how it is done but whatever the process, the ideal system should include student characteristics, course characteristics, operational characteristics and data governance.

7. Characteristics of an Ideal State Postsecondary Data System
Course Characteristics
Remediation data & Development Education participation and success
Course / Transcript level data
Assessed Achievement

8. Characteristics of an Ideal State Postsecondary Data System
Operational Characteristics
Privacy protection
Link to K-12
Link to Labor and Workforce Development
Includes Independent and For-Profits
Single system for all Public Institutions
If you have the right data elements (student and course characteristics), you should be able to do the following:

9. Characteristics of an Ideal State Postsecondary Data System
Data Governance Characteristics
Data Audits: quality, validity, and reliability
Alignment with State Goals and
Demonstrating Usability and Sustainability
Requires absolute and deliberate attention to quality
Can’t be happening in isolation
Becoming part of the infrastructure – means faith in the validity and reliability.
Demonstrates value which leads to long-term sustainability inc. more than 1-time money

10. Recommendations Very challenging but attainable
If you ask for average, that’s what you get
Sets goals without requiring specific steps
Requires state-specific decisions
Common characteristics lead to a level of commonality

11. Panel Response Reactions to the proposal
Is it worth trying?
Can it be done?
What should be different?
How close is your state to the ideal?
What would it take to make it happen?

12. A unique privacy protected id
Enrollment, Completion, and Demographics
Financial Aid data
Transfer data
Persistence and Graduation data
Remediation data & Development Education
Course / Transcript level data
Assessed Achievement
Privacy protection
Link to K-12
Link to Labor and Workforce Development
Includes Independent and For-Profits
Single system for all Public Institutions
Data Audits: quality, validity, and reliability
Alignment with State Goals, Usability and Sustainability

13. Questions?
Hans P. L’Orange
Thank You!