Supplemental information
The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) has made significant progress regarding collection of individual student data over the past three years – implementing unique state student IDs; tying the IDs to state assessments; and using individual student data for school accountability, district funding, and state and federal reporting. Data elements in other source data collections (e.g., teacher licensure and staff assignments) are being defined; and stakeholders have assigned the priority order for bringing subjects into the enterprise data warehouse. All data collected are time-stamped, stored, and readied for inclusion in the warehouse.
The Kansas State Board of Education and the Kansas State Legislature have shown significant support for development of a longitudinal data system by allocating approximately $2.4 million for a three-year project to implement the KSDE Enterprise Data System by 2009. KSDE has developed internal capacity for this initiative and is on target to deliver the EDS on schedule.
The work proposed for this project will build upon past accomplishments and work in progress. It focuses on measures to enhance the quality of the data collected as well as increase the capacity of KSDE's Enterprise Data System to facilitate such things as:
- understanding the impact of teacher preparation on student outcomes
- identifying best practices in curriculum and instruction
- comparing teacher assignments to teacher licensure
- evaluating supplemental program data in light of student outcomes
- more accurately tracing student transfer and dropouts through a student locator
Collection of quality data is meaningful only when effective processes and solutions are in place for using the data to inform decision–making. The timing is excellent in Kansas to act on the political will for building and using a comprehensive education data system. The work proposed for this project includes implementation of business intelligence and decision support solutions for various stakeholders; development and delivery of targeted training for stakeholders on effective use of the data; and implementation of a Research Consortium that will take advantage of the rich resources at the state's major research institutions. The Research Consortium will design and implement a research agenda that uses the data made available through the Enterprise Data System to inform education decisions and identify best practices.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
