The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is committed to providing resources that will allow districts to assist its students in reaching their potential. A key element to this success area is efficient, timely transfer of information through data exchange. This information impacts students, parents, teachers, administrators and districts in their quest for maximum outcomes. Unification of data expands the capacity for research that leading enhanced quality of instruction and thus to greater student achievement.

Since the CSAP (Colorado Student Assessment Program) testing program began in 1997, the need for stakeholders to receive more user-friendly information in more ways has presented the Department with ever growing challenges.

With assistance from the Legislature, CDE has made substantial strides in building a longitudinal data system. An Education Data Warehouse was created in 2001 and, due to its flexible design, has been expanded yearly. In 2002 a state-wide student identifier system was implemented and the Department began collecting identifiable student-level data. In 2005 CDE developed the Colorado Education Data Analysis Reporting system (CEDAR). The CEDAR system is the Department’s window into the data warehouse. Utilizing Cognos business intelligence software, districts and limited CDE staff have access to tools which allow them to do ad-hoc analyses, ad-hoc reporting and provides access to reports designed by districts.

The Department acknowledges that additional resources are now critical to the efficient, up-to-date and cost-effective accomplishment of our mission. This grant, our Longitudinal Education Data Action Plan (LEAP), will enable CDE to build upon its current accomplishments detailed above. Our progress to date has been slowed more by lack of consistent resources than vision. We have accomplished enough to understand that future success requires us to step back and build and enhance several key components upon which our goals depend.

CDE has identified 3 areas that would allow the department to reach its goals. These initiatives include the following:

• Rapid expansion of Colorado’s Education Data Warehouse to support unification of data for research and reporting.
• Transfer of Transcript/Student Data between local education agencies and between local education agencies and higher-education to support appropriate placement of students in our education system
• Expansion of data analysis and reporting capabilities.

This application addresses our need for data unification and access that will significantly enhance our ability to receive and deliver data in a timely manner and lower costs for the school districts.