Data systems are becoming powerful tools to address students' diverse and changing needs, but without comprehensive data privacy policies, the risks of unintentional or malicious disclosures of students' private information is increasing. Given the mounting challenges to protect data privacy, Education Commission of the States assembled data…

States often turn to a data masking procedure called microsuppression in order to reduce the risk of disclosing student records when sharing data with external researchers. This process removes records deemed to have high risk for disclosure should data be released. However, this process can induce differences between the original data and the…

States often turn to a data masking procedure called microsuppression in order to reduce the risk of disclosing student records when sharing data with external researchers. This process removes records deemed to have high risk for disclosure should data be released. However, this process can induce differences between the original data and the…

Over the past several years, policymakers across the country have enacted and updated policies designed to address safe data use in modern and evolving classrooms; now, changes in teaching practice are happening on an unprecedented scale and pace following the rapid transition to online learning. States will need to move quickly to provide student…

This annual report provides information for the 2021-22 school year on grade-level retention and student performance in the Texas public school system. Student retention and promotion data are reported with data on the performance of students in Grades 3-8 on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading and mathematics…

With roots in student-centered pedagogies that go back at least to the 1900s, personalized learning meets students' learning goals, needs, context, and pace while incorporating their interests and preferences. Personalized learning in today's classroom depends upon and creates an abundance of rich student data, which simultaneously fosters new…

In 2018, state boards of education discussed and adopted policies to increase accountability for student data protection and to increase transparency of schoolwide data through data dashboards. This analysis highlights policy changes in state data protection requirements, test administration and security, records retention, and confidentiality…

Many state and institution leaders have focused a considerable amount of energy on the development of data-driven student support tools that can be used for a variety of purposes. But tools aren't enough to drive progress -- policymakers must also consider the human component of the equation and explore best practices of how such tools, and the…

No vision of personalized learning can be realized without support for data use. State strategies to create student-centered classrooms require critical policy conditions that allow those closest to students to access and use timely, safeguarded data to make decisions. This case study outlines steps SEAs can take to ensure the effective use of…

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…

A core responsibility of the local education agencies (LEAs) that operate kindergarten-through-12th grade (K-12) schools across the United States is creating safe and secure environments that support effective teaching and learning. To help them meet this obligation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Cybersecurity and…

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 graduate? For answers to questions like these, policymakers need high-quality data.…

Schools watch their students. Nearly every responsibility that schools shoulder includes an element of surveillance--from ensuring that preschoolers do not wander off, to keeping third graders on task, to stopping bullying and sexting. These responsibilities are not new, but schools' increased ability to monitor students continuously is. Despite…

District and state data systems are constructed to ensure that individuals can access only the data that are appropriate for their role. Still, questions from the public about how these data systems work and how student privacy is protected have been increasing. A recurring concern is the feared existence of a "permanent record"--a…

Oklahoma's Student Data Accessibility, Transparency, and Accountability Act (known as the Student DATA Act) arose just as privacy concerns about student data were beginning to surface. According to Linnette Attai, founder of education technology compliance consultancy PlayWell LLC, "When this climate of data privacy first emerged in its…