- Surveys & Programs
- Data & Tools
- Fast Facts
- News & Events
- Publications & Products
- About Us
- Acknowledgments
- Foreword
- List of Tables
- List of Figures
- Chapter 1. Introduction
- Chapter 2. LDS Basics
- Chapter 3. What Does an LDS Look Like? From Real to Ideal
- Basic Features
- Student unique identifier system
- Student data
- Annual summative assessment data links from year to year
- Teacher unique identifier system and ability to link teacher and student data
- Teacher and staff data
- Data warehouse
- Reporting and analysis tools
- Interoperability
- Portability
- Privacy protection
- Data sharing beyond K–12 (P–20)
- Data audit system to assess data quality, validity, and reliability
- Expanded Features
- Basic Features
- Chapter 4. Dispelling the Misconceptions: What an LDS is, and What it is Not
- Chapter 5. LDS Benefits: Why Should We Build These Systems?
- Appendix A—Overview of the LDS Guide Series
- Appendix B— References
- Appendix C—Additional References
Appendix D—Handout: Anatomy of an LDS- Appendix E—LDS in Legislation
- Appendix F—Forum and Other NCES Resources
- PDF & Related Info
Contact
Basic Features
To achieve "basic" functionality, an LDS will include the following core elements, components, and capabilities:
Student unique identifier system
A student unique identifier system is the basis for an LDS. Without this component, tracking students over time and space will be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible. A unique statewide student identifier is "a single, nonduplicated number that is assigned to, and remains with, a student throughout his or her P–12 career (and beyond). Assignment of a unique statewide student identifier to every student in the P–12 system provides a way to follow students as they move from grade to grade, and across campuses and/or districts within the state. (Using the student identifier to track student participation and performance) can help show
- the academic value-added of a school or program;
- the achievement levels in early grades that indicate that a student is on track to succeed in subsequent grades; and
- the test scores in early grades that should be thresholds for intervention." (DQC 2009)
Ideally, the unique identifier should follow the student from early childhood through postsecondary education, and even across state lines. Of course, coordination across the education system is necessary to maintain a single, unique identifier that will stay with each student throughout his or her education.
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District difference At the district level, an LDS may contain two unique identifiers for a single student: a local identifier and a state-assigned one to enable integration with the statewide system. |
Making sure that students are consistently identified by the same number over time can be complicated by several challenges, including the existence of both state and local identifiers, inconsistent reporting by students, clerical errors, and student transfers across district or state lines. Though a unique identifier system has been implemented in most states, some still require that districts collect Social Security Numbers (SSN) as a secondary form of student identification. The collection of SSNs heightens concerns about student privacy; however, the SSNs can be stored in a secure electronic system and used only when needed to improve consistency and record-matching; and to facilitate broader data sharing beyond P–12, since the SSN is commonly used by postsecondary institutions and other government agencies.
