VT Census Case Studies : Florida Longitudinal Education Data

Variables included in the Dataset:

K-12

  • Demographics
  • School
  • District
  • Attendance/Dropout
  • Grades/GPA
  • Courses
  • Test scores
  • ACT/SAT
  • Disciplinary action
  • Teacher info (salaries, etc.)

Higher Education

  • Demographics
  • Type of college
  • Enrollment
  • Courses
  • Major
  • Grades
  • Tuition/Scholarships

Workforce

  • Demographics
  • Salary
  • Industry

Screening

  • Is there data available for 2013?
  • Can we access the data by August 15th?

Does this dataset appear to meet our needs for the Census study? NO

Explanation: The website states that it may take several months before approval for research requests is approved or denied.

Full Inventory

Purpose

  • What is the purpose of the organization collecting the data?

“The Florida Statewide Longitudinal Data System was “established to manage the modernization and expansion of access to Florida educational data and applications by education stakeholders.”

  • Who else uses the data? (make a note if they sell the data to companies)

Parents, teachers, administrators, researchers

 

Description

  • What is the general topic of the data?
  • K-12 Student Information
  • Higher Education Student Information
  • Workforce Information
  • Longitudinal Education Information (includes K-12, Higher Ed, and/or Workforce)

 

  • What are the earliest and latest dates for which data is available?

1995-2014

  • How soon after a reference period ends can a data source be prepared and provided?

One year


Method

  • What is the data collection method (portal, other)?

Portal

  • What is the raw source of the collected data (teacher, superintendent)?

Teachers and school administrators

Selectivity (conversely, the representativeness)

  • What is the universe (e.g., population) that the data represents?

Students who are served by the Florida K-20 public education system


Stability/Coherence

  • Note any changes to the universe of data being captured (e.g., including private schools).

Unknown

  • Note any changes to the data capture method or sources of data.

Unknown


Metadata

  • Is there a description of each variable in the source along with their valid values?

Yes, they have the reporting elements required for the Student Information System

  • Are there unique IDs for unique elements that can be used for linking data?

Yes

  • Can K-12 be linked to higher ed or higher ed to workforce?

Yes

  • Links to codebooks:

http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/data-sys/database-manuals-updates/2015-16-student-info-system/index.stml#REPORTING%20FORMATS

Accuracy

  • Any known sources of error?

Unknown

  • Describe any quality control checks performed by the state (or data manager).

Maintained by Florida Dept of Edu

 

Accessibility

  • How is the school-level data accessed (note if it needs to be screen scraped)?

Assessment scores by school available in cvs downloadable files: http://fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/results/2014.stml

  • How is the student-level data accessed?

Starting March 1, 2015, they implemented a new research request process. Researchers must submit a request and then secure a person in the Education Department to sponsor your proposal. If a sponsor is identified, then the application will need to be approved by a methodology committee. To qualify for approval, researchers must demonstrate how their requests support the Department’s Research Agenda.

  • Note if IRB is needed or any other restrictions on accessing data.

N/A

  • Any records or fields collected, but not included in data source?

Researchers seeking access to information on wage records will be constrained in the amount of demographic information they can receive matched to the wage records. The Florida Department of Education’s agreement with the Department of Economic Opportunity does not allow the FDOE to release wage records tied to the individual’s race, gender, or date of birth.

  • Cost? - One time or annual or project based payment?

Researchers may be asked to pay a cost recovery fee to cover the cost of extracting the data requested.


Privacy and security

  • Note any confidentiality policies or legal limitations other than FERPA:

Unknown

  • What do they consider personally identifiable information?

Unknown

Research

  • What research has been done with this dataset?

school performance report cards

  • Research links:  

http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/data-sys/edu-info-accountability-services/pk-12-public-school-data-pubs-reports/index.stml

Describe any other notes you have or any gaps/concerns you see with this dataset: