1. Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems SLDS Grant Program Nancy Smith, Director Tate Gould, Program Officer Emily Anthony, Program Officer

2. 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

3. SLDS can help states… evaluate various education programs How program participation relates to high school graduation Students’ 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

4. SsSs 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 ARRA Awards To Date: (Dollars in millions) What’s happening with SLDSs?

5. Grantee States

6. 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

7. 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

8. Next Steps for SLDS Allow for reliable connections to early childhood, postsecondary and labor data Connect teachers and students to understand teacher impact Provide data access to research community and public stakeholders Figure out how to build data structures for seamless transfers of student records across state lines Data use at all levels of education http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/SLDS

9. 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

10. SLDS Program Evolution

11. 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

12. Contact Information Website: 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

13. TECHNICAL CHALLENGES OF STATEWIDE DATA SYSTEMS Stanley Rabinowitz, Ph.D. WestEd AACC srabino@wested.org Education Reform: Building Coherence with ARRA Funds December 18, 2009 Phoenix AZ

14. 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?

15. 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?

16. Data Systems Workshop Phoenix, AZ December 18 th, 2009 Jose Rodriguez U.S. Department of Education Washington Teaching Ambassador Fellow

17. Esto Cuenta? Will this count? Snapshot Data Are 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 Data Are 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?

18. TESTING STATUSFREQUENCY% of CLASS Tested with Valid Score9090% Alternative Test33% English Language Learner55% Other (absent, etc)22% Table 1. Knowles’ 5 th Grade TAKS Reading Simulated Test Participation (n =100) Source: Tapping into the Power of Longitudinal Data: A Guide for School Leaders, Data Quality Campaign

19. 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.

20. Todo cuenta, porque tu cuentas. It all counts, because you count.