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: Submitted a data request and received the response that individual level data is not available for our research purposes. Also, the K-12 data is not yet linked to Higher Education, however, Iowa DE is in middle of setting up their SLDS.
Full Inventory
Purpose
- What is the purpose of the organization collecting the data?
“Intended to enhance the ability of states, districts, schools, and teachers to make data-driven decision to improve student learning, as well as facilitate research to increase student achievement and close achievement gaps.”
- Who else uses the data? (make a note if they sell the data to companies)
Researches and state officials
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?
Depends on the dataset, but most is available from 2009-2014; some is available much earlier (e.g., 1994)
- How soon after a reference period ends can a data source be prepared and provided?
Depends on category, generally less than a year.
Method
What is the data collection method (portal, other)?
Portal
What is the raw source of the collected data (teacher, superintendent)?
Teachers and administrative staff
Selectivity (conversely, the representativeness)
- What is the universe (e.g., population) that the data represents?
K-12 public school students
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.
The race/ethnicity codes changed in 2009 to include more categories
Metadata
- Is there a description of each variable in the source along with their valid values?
Yes
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?
Not at the student-level
Links to codebooks:
Accuracy
- Any known sources of error?
Unknown
Describe any quality control checks performed by the state (or data manager).
Performed by the Department of Education
Accessibility
- How is the school-level data accessed (note if it needs to be screen scraped)?
Downloadable on website under “Education Statistics” as xlsx file.
- How is the student-level data accessed?
Must submit a data request form that describes what you are requesting and how you will use the data. After request is submitted, Iowa Department of Education will assess request and contact you.
- 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?
Most PII such as addresses, parents, and names
- Cost? - One time or annual or project based payment?
Unknown
Privacy and security
Note any confidentiality policies or legal limitations other than FERPA:
NA
What do they consider personally identifiable information?
Any information that could identify a specific person.
Research
What research has been done with this dataset?
achievement gaps, impact of coursework on ACT scores, district-level predictors of dropout
Research links:
https://www.educateiowa.gov/data-reporting/intersect-working-papers
Describe any other notes you have or any gaps/concerns you see with this dataset: