Concurrent Session V Presentations


Thursday, July 9, 2015
10:15 am – 11:15 am


V–A: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Spatial Data: A Review of District Boundaries and the School Attendance Boundary Survey

Tai Phan, National Center for Education Statistics
Doug Geverdt, U.S. Census Bureau
Andrea Conver, Sanametrix

    This session includes two presentations about NCES spatial data. The first presentation will review school district boundaries and variations in school district geographic structure across the United States. The second presentation will discuss the results of the 2013–14 Public School Attendance Boundary Survey (SABS), the relevance of this dataset, and the school boundary file dissemination tool.

    Complexity: Entry Level

V–B: A State Education Agency (SEA) World Without Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Linda Rocks, Bossier Parish Schools (LA)
Elizabeth Laird, Louisiana Department of Education
Heather Boughton, Ohio Department of Education
Sheri Ballman, Princeton City School District (OH)

    Protecting the privacy of student data has always been a concern of districts and states. Come hear how the state education departments in Louisiana and Ohio are dealing with some of the most restrictive privacy laws to date: local education agencies (LEAs) cannot report students’ personally identifiable information to state education agencies (SEAs). The impact of these laws are far reaching. You will also hear from LEAs about the significant changes that these laws bring to them.

    Complexity: Intermediate Level

V–C: The Center for IDEA Fiscal Reporting (CIFR) Maintenance of Financial Support Collection and Reporting Toolkit

Steven Smith, Center for IDEA Fiscal Reporting (CIFR)
Jesse Levin, American Institutes for Research

    This session provides an introduction to the Center for IDEA Fiscal Reporting (CIFR) Maintenance of Financial Support Collection and Reporting Toolkit (MFS CRT), a suite of tools designed to assist state staff in accurately collecting and reporting MFS figures to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Specifically, the tools facilitate the MFS data collection and reporting process through functionality that allows users to (1) understand the regulation and identify how state financial support for special education flows to various providers, (2) document collection/ reporting activities during the year, and (3) collect and report the amount of state funding made available by the state education agency (SEA) and non-SEA agencies.

    Complexity: Entry Level

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V–D: Forum Guide to Alternative Measures of Socioeconomic Status in Education Data Systems

Tom Howell, Michigan Center for Educational Performance and Information
Sonya Edwards, California Department of Education

    The goal of the National Forum on Education Statistics’ new resource, the Forum Guide to Alternative Measures of Socioeconomic Status (SES) in Education Data Systems, is to provide relevant information to the education community as it considers alternative ways to measure SES. This session will review the document, including the need for alternative SES measures; best practices for implementing new measures; and each of the eight “encyclopedia-type” entries for alternative SES measures presented in the resource.

    Complexity: Intermediate Level

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V–E: Enterprise Information Management: Cutting Through the Data Clutter and Chaos

Laura Hansen, Alphonso Gaines, and Lee Barber, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (TN)

    Districts and schools are collecting more and more data to facilitate instruction, operations, and accountability reporting. Managing extensive data assets is becoming a key requirement at the local level, and the scope of this management now extends beyond the information technology and research departments to all district departments and individual schools. Disciplines such as data governance and master data management—common in the business world to ensure data quality, security/privacy, and accountability—are extremely valuable in the education industry, as well, to manage the growing complexity of data resources and requirements. Nashville Public Schools is taking on the challenge of creating an Enterprise Information Management (EIM) Program that not only includes state-of-the-art technology tools but also addresses the people and processes that are involved in the collection and management of data.

    Complexity: Advanced Level

V–F: North Carolina Early Childhood Integrated Data System (NC ECIDS): A Federated, Interactive Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS)

Dale Epstein, Child Trends
Carolyn Cobb, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Tom Frantz, North Carolina Office of Information Technology Services

    The North Carolina Early Childhood Integrated Data System (NC ECIDS) includes a number of education, health, and social service early childhood programs serving children ages birth to five. It is the single source of integrated data across programs in the state. The architecture provides for aggregate “standard” reports, an option to query those reports, and an individual data request option for external researchers. This session will overview NC ECIDS, discuss the data request and approval process for researchers, and explain the types of data reporting options available.

    Complexity: Intermediate Level

V–G: P20W Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS)—What Has Wyoming Been Up To?

Meredith Bickell and Barbara Grofe, Wyoming Enterprise Technology Services

    Wyoming has been busy developing a Proof of Concept, which was completed in June and will be used to accelerate the development of the state’s innovative and architecturally agile P20W statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS). On schedule for completion of the defined P20W SLDS phases, the project team has met challenges related to partner leadership, competing requirements, architecture, diverse systems, and lack of federal funding. However, Wyoming continues to drive forward with its efforts to establish a “next gen” solution. Come find out how we’re getting it done.

    Complexity: Entry Level

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V–H: Eliminating the Achievement and Opportunity Gaps: San Jose Unified School District’s Use of Data Intervention Cycles

Jason Willis and Emalie McGinnis, San Jose Unified School District (CA)

    In implementing a system of accountability and supports for principals and schools to improve student outcomes, San Jose Unified School District created a rigorous process to utilize accountability data to (1) develop key indicators of performance in academic preparedness and academic perseverance, (2) implement a continuous six-week data intervention cycle of school improvement led by senior leadership and supported across departments, and (3) create monitoring and support systems aligned with practice and expectations centered on commonly held expectations. Participants will learn about the practical and systemic considerations needed to launch a districtwide accountability and support system.

    Complexity: Entry Level

V–I: From Fuzzy to Deterministic: A Typology of Identity-Matching Methods

John Sabel, Washington State Office of Financial Management

    This session will help you become better informed about the types and methods used by identity-matching software. The choice of software packages and their associated methods can be bewildering. Which matching method to use is enormously dependent on the number and quality of identifiers. Adding to the confusion is the fact that different methods can share the same terminology, e.g., “fuzzy key.” This session will seek to resolve some of the confusion by presenting a typology of identity-matching methods. This session will also address how several identity-matching software packages, both open source and commercial, fit into the typology.

    Complexity: Intermediate Level

V–J: Data Management: Managing for the Data You Need

Larry Fruth, SIF Association/A4L
James Yap, Byram Hills Central School District (NY)
James Wiley, Public Consulting Group
Glynn Ligon, ESP Solutions Group

    States and districts can have coherent and managed strategies around all systemwide data assets, which would allow them to advocate the use of information as a source of value, not just an entity to control and monitor. This session will present ways in which states and districts can plan, implement, and control activities that apply quality management techniques to measure, assess, improve, and ensure the fitness of data for use (and not simply for federal reporting).

    Complexity: Intermediate Level

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