Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems grant-funded projects represent one of the most developed and systemic K-12 education data projects in U.S. history. This report reviews what types of K-12 data elements are included in state systems, data linking with other systems, and how the data are used for reporting and decision making.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is urged to submit a report to the General Assembly by December 31, 2021, with information on the reviewed areas and recommendations on how to streamline the school data reporting and collecting systems of the State of Illinois. ISBE supports more than 200 software applications that were created in…

The 2020 election brought about legislative change across the country. New and veteran policymakers need information about the schools in their state. What programs are the most cost effective and work best for students? How can states attract and retain great teachers? What information do parents need to ensure that their kids are on track to…

The Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative, which was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was a multiyear effort to improve student outcomes--particularly high school graduation and college attendance among low-income minority students--by increasing student access to effective teaching. The RAND Corporation worked…

In 2010, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association released the results of a national study of state level postsecondary student unit record (SUR) data systems in 44 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.). One section of the report, "Strong Foundations: The State of State Postsecondary Data Systems" (Garcia and L'Orange 2010),…

Institutions--even entire sectors of the education system--too often operate independently of each other, maintaining discrete student-record systems. This makes it difficult to trace a student's progress through higher education and into the workforce--and that disconnection hampers efforts to improve the system. Only by systematically collecting…

While states have made tremendous progress building the capacity to collect longitudinal data, developing the systems and practices to tap into P-20W data remains a nascent effort in most states. This primer aims to provide policymakers with information and recommendations to propel states' progress toward using P-20W data to prepare…

When K-12 school districts began implementing the first student information systems (SISs) during the 1990s, special education was largely left out of the process. The two systems evolved as separate entities, technologically speaking, and in the handling of individualized education programs (IEPs), paper remained the dominant storage medium long…

The use of Student Information Systems (SIS) to enhance school administration and manage student performance in K-12 education has received increased attention in recent years. As SIS become more integrated operational tools in schools, many school districts have to make decisions about the extent to which SIS affects student achievement and about…

Discusses the stronger accountability required under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and explores how Student Information Systems (SIS) or Student Management Systems may be used to meet the stringent reporting requirements of the new legislation. SIS can enable the school district to manipulate data to generate reports to suit various needs.…

A complete school district technology-integration plan includes student information and business information. To avoid entering the same data numerous times, the plan should include student information, financial information, human resources, and specialized applications, thus interfacing core student and business information. (MLF)

Points out the advantages and disadvantages of the four ways to design and use a student information system: (1) manual files, (2) use of a computer located in the school building, (3) shared use of a larger computer, and (4) use of a commercial service bureau. (Author/MLF)

This is one of a series of reports based on an ongoing reality test of systemic evaluation for instructional decision making. This feasibility study is being carried out by the Center for the Study of Evaluation with the Laboratory in School and Community Relations at a suburban Los Angeles high school (called Site A). Viewing a school as a…

Written for Migrant Student Records Transfer System (MSRTS) specialists, this manual provides information to help them generate, translate, interpret, use, and update a migrant child's educational record. The manual serves as a reference to be used in conjunction with the National MSRTS User's Manual and as initial orientation and subsequent guide…

Argues for sound practices of information management that provide educators with the information they need to make good decisions about services for students and protect the privacy of students and their families. Defines informational characteristics (accuracy, completeness, pertinence, timeliness) and systemic functions (collecting, storing,…