New Jersey

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Just as more education leaders are recognizing the need for better data, more states are doing the hard work of addressing that need by putting in place the DQC's 10 State Actions of a longitudinal data system. For the first time, the DQC surveys all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to assess states' progress towards and future plans for implementing the 10 Actions. Credit for each action is determined by implementing a series of attributes of a longitudinal data system as described in more detail below each Action.

Key

*
Required component(s) for an overall YES; the others are necessary for quality.
**
At least one must be YES for an overall YES.
N/A
This action or item was not addressed this year.
Actions Present in this state? Year of Planned Implementation
09-10

Expand the ability of state longitudinal data systems to link across the P-20 education pipeline and across state agencies
1. Link state K-12 data systems with early learning, postsecondary education, workforce, social services and other critical agencies

By linking data systems across the P-20 /workforce spectrum, states will be able to evaluate whether students, schools and districts are meeting many states’ college and career readiness expectations. However, academic data and performance histories alone cannot provide a complete picture of the challenges students face and the programs and services they take part in outside the classroom that affect student achievement.

Linking data systems can help policymakers and educators determine whether:

  • Students, schools and districts are meeting the state’s college and career readiness expectations.
  • Students are receiving the services for which they are qualified.
  • Students are receiving effective interventions.

 NO
* Student-level K-12 records can be matched with the records of the same students in the state's publicly subsidized early childhood programs. NO
* Student-level K-12 records can be matched with the records of the same students in all of the state's public colleges and universities. YES
* Student-level K-12 records can be matched with the records of the same students in the state's workforce data system(s). NO
* Student-level postsecondary records can be matched with the records of the same students in the state's workforce data system(s). NO
2. Create stable, sustained support for robust state longitudinal data systems

Longitudinal data systems are not one-time investments but critical state infrastructure that require maintenance and enhancements over time to meet new stakeholder demands. A key factor in ensuring that state longitudinal data systems remain viable over time is stakeholder use and demand for these systems. States can help to foster this sustainability through codifying a state P-20 state longitudinal data system, as well as by providing maintenance and expansion funding.

 NO
* A state's P-20 longitudinal data system is mandated in state policy NO
P-20 statewide longitudinal data system was mandated by executive order or legislation NO
* State's statewide longitudinal data system has received state funding YES
** State P-20 longitudinal data systems receives state funding for ongoing maintenance. NO
** State P-20 longitudinal data systems receives state funding for system expansion. NO
3. Develop governance structures to guide data collection, sharing and use

Data governance, a critical aspect of data management, provides organizations and agencies an opportunity to define the roles and responsibilities needed to institutionalize their commitment to data quality and use.

Through a strong data governance structure, states are able to clarify:

  • Data ownership and governance
  • Business processes for collecting ,reporting, and sharing data
  • Protection of privacy by ensuring appropriate collection, use, security, access and release of data
  • Accountability for data quality
  • Common data standards

 NO
* State has a cross-agency oversight committee that provides guidance regarding data collection, sharing, and use. NO
State has codified state's cross-agency oversight committee NO
* K-12 state education agency has an internal data governance structure YES
* K-12 state education agency internal governance structure oversees the state's K-12 education data collection processes. YES
K-12 state education agency internal governance structure oversees the state's K-12 education data standards / definitions YES
K-12 state education agency internal governance structure oversees data requests from outside agencies YES
* K-12 state education agency internal governance structure oversees data requests from outside stakeholders for research YES
K-12 state education agency internal governance structure oversees change management processes for data collection (e.g., add, delete, change data elements, etc.) YES
K-12 state education agency internal governance structure reviews, approves, and manages one-time only data collections YES
4. Build state data repositories (e.g., data warehouses) that integrate student, staff, financial and facility data

Data warehouses are essentially storage facilities where detailed and reliable educational data from several areas that affect student performance are stored and integrated. A data repository is a location—analogous to a railroad switchyard—where data from multiple sources can be linked electronically to create customized datasets and reports. Facilities where integrated databases are stored are often referred to as data warehouses. A data repository can itself be used to store databases, and thus serve as a data warehouse, or can simply link data from multiple data warehouses but not itself be used as a long-term storage facility for data.

Data repositories allow data that have been traditionally stored in different silos to be linked and /or integrated in a manner that would allow states to inform various practices and policies.

YES
* The SEA has built an implemented a state data repository YES

Ensure data can be accessed, analyzed and used, and communicate data to all stakeholders to promote continuous improvement
5. Implement systems to provide all stakeholders with timely access to the information they need while protecting student privacy

Data are only useful if people are able to access, understand and use them. Without access to the right information, stakeholders are forced to make decisions based on anecdote, experience or instinct. For information to be useful, it must be timely, readily available, and easy to understand.

Different stakeholders need and are entitled to access to different types of information. For example, teachers and school administrators need access to individual longitudinal information on the students in their charge. Parents need information on their own children. Other users, such as members of the general public or parents seeking information on the performance of their children’s schools, need access to aggregate statistics based on longitudinal data that do not reveal information on individual students. By granting access to different types of users based on the kinds of information to which they are entitled, state data systems can provide access to information while fully protecting student privacy.

The DQC is not issuing an analysis on Action 5 because the survey instrument failed to collect adequate information. The DQC will be refining its questions, and this information will be provided in next year's analysis.

 N/A
6. Create progress reports with individual student data that provide information educators, parents and students can use to improve student performance

Creating progress reports using student-level longitudinal data enriches the information that are available to parents and teachers by providing information on a student’s academic history, including courses taken, grades received, and scores on formative and statewide assessments.

Using student-level longitudinal data states can produce:

  • Diagnostic reports to guide efforts by teachers and parents to provide timely and effective help to students and to make sure that the instruction challenges them appropriately.
  • Early warning system reports provide information regarding whether individual students are at risk or in need of extra assistance.
  • Readiness reports help identify whether and to what extent each elementary, middle and high school student is on track for college and career readiness by high school graduation.
  • Predictive reports use information on the past performance of students to see whether students are likely to reach a particular performance goal.

 NO
* State produces at least two reports using student-level data. NO
State produces diagnostic report(s) NO
State produces early warning indicator report(s) NO
State produces readiness report(s) NO
State produces predictive report(s) NO
* Teachers are provided access to at least two reports NO
** Counselors are provided access to at least two reports NO
** Principals are provided access to at least two reports NO
** District staff are provided access to at least two reports NO
** Select SEA staff are provided access to at least two reports NO
** Postsecondary are provided access to at least two reports NO
** Parents / students are provided access to at least two reports NO
7. Create reports that include longitudinal statistics on school systems and groups of students to guide school-, district-, and state-level improvement efforts

All stakeholders need information on school, district and state performance to gauge progress and make decisions to support continuous improvement at all education levels. Reports that include longitudinal statistics provide valuable information about the effectiveness of schools, programs, policies and interventions for students who start out at different academic levels.

Using aggregate-level longitudinal data, states can produce:

  • Feedback reports from higher education to K-12, from high schools to middle schools, from middle schools to elementary schools, and from elementary schools to early childhood programs, provide educators and policymakers with information about how students from one particular school or program performs at the next level of education.
  • Student academic performance and growth reports to assess whether students who entered middle school or high school at low performance levels are improving fast enough to get them on track to enter college or careers by the time they graduate from their current schools.
  • Longitudinal graduation/completion reports disaggregated by student prior performance, allow states to determine whether some high schools are more effective than others in getting at-risk students to graduate.
  • Reports based on the analysis of the relationship between course completion, course grades, exam results and later success, provides states with the ability to assess whether certain benchmarks or course taking patterns are accurate indicators of future success.

 NO
* State produces at least two reports using aggregate-level data. NO
State produces feedback report(s) NO
State produces performance report(s) NO
State produces graduation or completion report(s) NO
State produces report(s) using relational analysis NO
* At least two reports using aggregate data are posted on the SEA's Web site NO

Build the capacity of all stakeholders to use longitudinal data for effective decisionmaking
8. Develop a purposeful research agenda and collaborate with universities, researchers and intermediary groups to explore the data for useful information

To make full use of the longitudinal data states are collecting, states need access to individuals with high-level analytical skills and research training to mine the data and answer the multitude of policy and evaluation questions. Through the formation of strategic partnerships with universities and other organizations that conduct educational research and/or serve as advocacy organizations, states will be provided with information and analysis that could inform decision making and improve student and system performance.

 NO
* State has developed a P-20 workforce agenda in conjunction with other organizations NO
State has developed a P-20 workforce agenda in conjunction with an inter-agency data governance committee NO
State has developed a P-20 workforce agenda in conjunction with universities NO
State has developed a P-20 workforce agenda in conjunction with outside researchers NO
State has developed a P-20 workforce agenda in conjunction with intermediaries NO
* State has a process by which outside researchers can propose studies for approval and/or obtain state data for external research NO
9. Implement policies and promote practices, including professional development and credentialing, to ensure educators know how to access, analyze and use data appropriately

To ensure that data is used to inform teaching in the classroom and to promote continuous improvement at the school and district levels, educators must be trained on how to access, analyze, and interpret the data. States can develop the capacity of educators to use data by implementing appropriate policies for both pre-service and in-service staff.

 NO
* State provides training to educators (teachers, principals, and/or superintendents) on how to access and use data NO
* State's credentialing or licensure processes require teachers to demonstrate adequate ability to interpret and use student-level and aggregate-level data NO
* State's credentialing or licensure processes require principals to demonstrate adequate ability to interpret and use student-level and aggregate-level data NO
State's credentialing or licensure processes require superintendents to demonstrate adequate ability to interpret and use student-level and aggregate-level data NO
* State works with teacher preparation or leadership programs to offer instruction on how to use student-level or aggregate-level data to educators (teachers, principals, or superintendents) YES
* State provides support to postsecondary institutions to offer instruction to teachers on how to use student-level data YES
* State provides support to postsecondary institutions to offer instruction to principals on how to use student-level data YES
State provides support to postsecondary institutions to offer instruction to superintendents on how to use student-level data YES
State shares data with teacher preparation program NO
* State automatically shares data with teacher preparation program NO
State shares individual teacher data with teacher preparation program NO
State shares aggregate-level data with teacher preparation program NO
* State shares aggregate-level information about how teachers' perofram as measured through their students' performance data and course data * NO
10. Promote strategies to raise awareness of available data and ensure that all key stakeholders, including state policymakers, know how to access, analyze and use the information

In addition to educators, other stakeholders including students, parents, policymakers, and community members need to know what data are available and be able to access, interpret and use data effectively. Very few stakeholders have had access to longitudinal education data; consequently, few will automatically know how to use the information effectively.

NO
* Stakeholders are informed of the type of data that are being collected / reports generated YES
* Stakeholders are provided with training on how to use data / reports NO
* State provides at least two means of training to stakeholders NO
* Parents / Students are offered data training* NO
* School board members, state executives, or SEA personnel are offered data training NO
* Education writers/ journalists, community leaders, or the public are offered data training NO

1 This information reflects the state of the data system maintained by the state education agency, not at a local school or school district.