This chapter describes the background and process for collecting postgraduation outcomes data at a 4-year not-for-profit private college. The strategies, analyses, and reporting of this data-collection effort are highlighted with the use of a case study.

Since the initial authorizing legislation for Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1986, the scope and complexity of data collected by Part C programs have significantly increased. Formal governance establishes responsibility for Part C data and enables program staff to improve the effectiveness of data processes and…

The recommendations in this brief create a framework for using data effectively to make instructional decisions. The availability of student-level data for educators has pushed forward the movement to strengthen the role of data to guide instruction and improve student learning. While improvements in technology and assessments, as well as recent…

Over the past decade, chronic absence has gone from being a virtually unknown concept to a national education metric that provides every school in the nation with critical data on how many students are missing so many days of school it jeopardizes their academic success. The inclusion of chronic absence in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was…

State education data systems help policymakers use data to evaluate the impact of their efforts to improve education. By disaggregating the data -- that is, breaking it out by different student subgroups -- policymakers can ensure that their efforts address the needs of students who have been traditionally underserved in educational settings. Yet…

In February 2014, the Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) issued guidance titled "Protecting Student Privacy While Using Online Educational Services: Requirements and Best Practices." This Model Terms of Service document is intended to further assist schools and school districts in implementing that guidance. In a traditional…

Northwestern New Mexico is widely known as the Four Corners region, and for locals, it is also known as the Checkerboard area--a patchwork of sections owned by the federal government, private citizens, and the Navajo reservation. Oil and gas fields are spread out along the arid mesas, but below is fertile farmland, irrigated by the San Juan River.…

Purpose/Objective: Under the reauthorized Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states and districts retain greater discretion over the measures included in school quality report cards. Moreover, ESSA now requires states to expand their measurement efforts to address factors like school climate. This shift toward more comprehensive measures of school…

Personalized learning has become the most notable application of big data in primary and secondary schools in the United States. The combination of big data and adaptive technological platforms is heralded as a revolution that could transform education, overcoming the outdated classroom model, and realizing the progressive vision of…

This report identifies effective strategies to tackle skills imbalances in South Africa. It provides an assessment of practices and policies in the following areas: the collection and use of information on skill needs to foster a better alignment of skills acquisitions with labour market needs; education and training policies targeting skills…

This 2016 document is designed to provide state Part C staff with guidance on using fiscal data to analyze and revise their allocation methodology. Allocation methodology is the process -- including practices, strategies, procedures, and policies -- used by Part C state staff to equitably distribute funds to meet the needs of the system, including…

The increase in education data and advance in technology are bringing about enhanced teaching and learning methodology. The emerging field of Learning Analytics (LA) continues to seek ways to improve the different methods of gathering, analysing, managing and presenting learners' data with the sole aim of using it to improve the student learning…

The Kindergarten Observation Tool (KOT), an observation-based assessment tool designed for use during the first 30 instructional days of kindergarten, was implemented across New Mexico in fall of 2016 as the states' kindergarten entry assessment (KEA). After KOT administration ended, a survey was developed aimed to understand how New Mexico…

Population-based outcome monitoring could provide useful information about factors that differentially influence the developmental trajectories of deaf or hard-of-hearing children. A strong basis for population-based outcome monitoring is a coordinated, longitudinal data collection, and management infrastructure that includes quality local…

Most data-informed decision-making in education is undermined by flawed interpretations. Educator-driven interventions to improve data use are beneficial but not omnipotent, as data misunderstandings persist at schools and school districts commended for ideal data use support. Meanwhile, most data systems and reports display figures without…