Pennsylvania’s SLDS grant award in 2006 helped to launch Pennsylvania from one of the last states to start work on a SLDS to a state successfully and aggressively implementing a comprehensive and sustainable SLDS. As PDE nears the midpoint of its 3-year grant award, much has been accomplished:
- Assigned 1.8 million unique student IDs as well as staff IDs
- Established SLDS Vision for a Birth to 20+ Longitudinal Data System
- Established a strong SLDS Governance Board comprised of senior PDE executive leadership
- Established a strong, active pilot group of 15 LEAs, including our biggest, Philadelphia
- Conducted successful pilot of Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) technology
- Contracted for a robust Help Desk at a PA Regional Educational Agency
- Trained over 1,200 LEA staff on data submission and reporting
- Provided over 200 reports to LEA and PDE administrators and policy makers
- Replaced 8 existing PDE data collections and supporting systems
- Implemented the PK-12 unique student ID in public postsecondary institutions
- Collected data includes attendance, school calendars, career and technical education, course, staff, staff assignments and program participation.
- Redirected many internal resources and dedicated them to our support our SLDS
- Created new Center for Data Quality and Information Services to support our SLDS
While PDE is proud of its SLDS achievements, much work remains. Funded plans for FY 2009 and 2010 will:
- Solidify gains achieved in FY 2008
- Expand PK-12 collections to include assessments, special education and financial data
- Develop reporting specifically for principals
- Implement PIMS for postsecondary with a pilot data collection in 2009
- Conduct requirements analysis for Early Learning Network linkage
PDE is now prepared to solidify our PK-12 efforts and launch into new educational sectors to create a Birth to 20+ SLDS. PDE is uniquely positioned to take the lead in many of these areas and help redefine an SLDS.
With assistance from this IES grant PDE will strengthen its established PK-12 SLDS capabilities, while developing capabilities in educational sectors other than PK-12:
- Institutionalize and ensure sustainability for our PK-12 SLDS by implementing electronic exchange of student records and eTranscripts; developing reports for teachers, policy makers and administrators; provide LEA Data quality and data analysis training; expand data governance and data access and use policies.
- Expand into new sectors by linking PAsecureID and PIMS to Early Childhood Data; to all Public, Private and Independent Postsecondary Institutions and Graduate Students; to Adult Students and to libraries
