VT Census Case Studies : Washington 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

Link: http://www.erdc.wa.gov/data/access/

 

Date Inventory Completed: 6/2/15

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? YES

ExplanationThey have data linked from Kindergarten/Pre-K through the workforce, making it a very valuable resource for our purposes. We have signed an MOU with them and are in the process to getting the data.

Full Inventory 

Purpose

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

To promote a seamless, coordinated preschool-to-career (P-20W) experience for all learners by providing objective analysis and information.”

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

Researchers, educators, policymakers


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?

Differs for different variables, but starts at 2000 for some and is collected through 2013.

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

Unclear

 

Method

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

Portal

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

Each partner agency submits their data separately to the Education Research and Data Center.


Selectivity (conversely, the representativeness)

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

Public schools for K-12, all Washington public higher ed, and some private/out of state institutions.


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?

Not available on website.

  • 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:

N/A

 

Accuracy

  • Any known sources of error?

Unknown

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

Unknown

 

Accessibility

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

Can be screen-scraped from the website.

  • How is the student-level data accessed?

Submit a data request, receive a response on if things need clarification or changing. Within 5 days, the request will be processed, and a data sharing agreement is signed.

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

No IRB required

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

Unknown

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

No

 

Privacy and security

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

This PDF provides a list of all the policies that the data are governed under http://www.erdc.wa.gov/data/docs/datasharingmatrix.pdf 

  • What do they consider personally identifiable information?

Name, address, SSN.


Research

  • What research has been done with this dataset?

Studying the economic impact of education in the state, teacher effectiveness over a longitudinal time frame, the impact of early childhood education, among many other projects listed on the website.

  • Research links:

http://www.erdc.wa.gov/briefs/