California has long been a national and global leader in developing and maintaining quality higher education options, as well as in providing financial aid and consumer protections for Californians who access that education. However, although California's colleges and the state government do collect, receive, and report a great deal of data, these…

The purpose of this paper is to present the multiple uses that can be derived from special education student database information and used in the evaluation of special education programs. Within the San Juan (California) Unified School District, many evaluation studies draw directly upon information which is in the computerized record system. This…

Constructing a longitudinal student outcomes data file takes careful planning and attention to detail, but investment in such a resource yields substantial dividends in the ability to document and explain complex patterns of student success. (Author)

Involvement of the institutional research office at the University of Texas at Austin in integration of student-athlete data into the central database is described, including identification of data maintained in different offices, internal and external data reporting needs, and expansion of central files. Lessons learned from the effort are…

The Migrant Student Record Transfer System (MSRTS) is a nationwide computer-based communications network originally designed to transfer the health and educational records of migrant workers' children. This report assesses MSRTS data from September 1984 through June 1986 to determine the potential utility of such data for national studies of the…

Approaches to college student monitoring have been shaped by changing contexts and evolving technical capabilities, beginning with retention studies and developing into fully relational databases for cohort tracking. Institutional researchers should know this history and be aware of the specific demands for information that future tracking systems…

This paper is based on information related to the use of computers in special education within California, and on the experiences of the San Juan Unified School District in using computer information for special education research, evaluation and planning. The majority of special education planning agencies in California have some type of…

The evolution of the student tracking system at Amarillo College, a Texas community college, is chronicled for three stages: (1) early efforts; (2) participation in the development of a consortium-based longitudinal student tracking project beginning in 1986; and (3) more recent developments. Tools and techniques used at each stage are discussed…

Development, structure, and uses of multi-institutional and statewide student databases at the state level are examined, based on results of a national survey of state higher education agencies. The issue of confidentiality is also discussed. Construction and uses of a multi-institutional system in Colorado are then described, and its advantages…

A discussion of new technologies and strategies for monitoring college student progress identifies four stages of developing information systems: (1) problem definition and systems specification; (2) data extraction and synthesis; (3) data analysis; and (4) dissemination. Some trends in use of data sources, analysis types, tracking capabilities,…

Arizona State University has created longitudinal student files capable of tracking each student's curricular and financial aid history from entry until graduation. The structure of the files, their creation and maintenance, and their evolution over the years are described. Uses of the files to conduct different kinds of studies to inform…