Indiana

The following profile is a representation of the Indiana public education state longitudinal data system (SLDS) as presented through publicly available resources of public primary, secondary and higher education, information made available to the public through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the Data Quality Campaign, published research articles, other third party internet resources (as noted), and direct contact with state and federal public education officials.   It is not a formal program evaluation.

The information provided is intended for use by academic researchers, state and federal public education policy makers, educators, and student households.

Introduction Evaluation Criteria Governance and Maintenance Data Providers
Funding Researcher Access Public User Portal Legal Statues
DQC Contact Schematic State Response
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Download State Profile INK Dashboard INK Website NCES Funding:
2007   2012

Introduction

The Indiana Network of Knowledge (INK)[1] is Indiana’s public education state longitudinal data system (SLDS)[2] governed by the INK Governance Committee, a committee comprised of representatives from state agencies, public and private education institutions, the Indiana business committee, and the INK Executive Director that has ultimate authority over the data system. The INK, created for the purpose of linking and analyzing Connecticut public education data at the individual, course, institution, and system level, receives data records from the breadth of the Connecticut education and workforce collection systems. The linked data collection systems are part a nation-wide effort to record granular public education detail over time in order to document the entirety of students’ education experience. This information is intended to be available for analysis and public policy consideration for the purpose of producing improvements in student learning at elementary, secondary, post-secondary, and higher education levels, and to optimize labor market outcomes, individually and generally.

Indiana is one of the 47 states having received public funding to create a state longitudinal data system (SLDS). Despite state-to-state differences, each SLDS shares a common purpose of supporting research and analysis with the intent of informing individual, household, and public policy decisions based on standardized criteria.

[1] The Indiana Network of Knowledge enables state agencies and participating education institutions to link education and workforce data to answer questions critical to understanding Indiana’s future education workforce needs http://in.gov/ink/2338.htm
[2] State longitudinal data systems are intended to enhance the ability of states to efficiently and accurately manage, analyze, and use education data https://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/about_SLDS.asp
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Evaluation Criteria

This review assesses the overall quality of the INK as an SLDS by considering the nature of the organization maintaining the data system, those agencies and institutions providing inputs to the data system, and to which agencies and institutions the data systems’ outputs are available. The assessment also considers the data system’s funding mechanisms, internal and external researcher data accessibility, the quality of the data system’s public user interface (dashboard), and the data system’s current Data Quality Campaign (DQC)[1] ranking. This report considers each of these criteria pertaining to the INK and provides contact information to the departments and individuals who maintain and manage the SLDS.

[1] The Data Quality Campaign is a national, nonprofit organization leading the effort to bring every part of the education community together to empower educators, parents, and policymakers with quality information to make decisions that ensure students excel http://dataqualitycampaign.org/
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Governance and Maintenance

The INK is governed by the INK Governance Committee, a collaborative committee that provides administrative oversight to the data system. The INK Governance Committee is comprised of the following members:[1]

  • The Commissioner of the Department of Workforce Development, or designee
  • The Commissioner of the Commission for Higher Education, or designee
  • The State Superintendent of Public Instruction, or designee
  • One member representing private colleges and universities appointed by the Governor
  • One member representing the business community in Indiana appointed by the Governor
  • The INK Executive Director (non-voting member)
  • The Secretary of Family and Social Services Administration’s designee

The INK Governance Committee is required to meet quarterly to review the operations of the data system and makes final decisions about matters concerning the data system. The committee makes decisions through a majority voting process, the affirmative vote from a majority of its members are required for the committee to take official action. The committee’s responsibilities are to:[2]

  • Provide general oversight and direction for the development and maintenance of the INK, including the organizational framework for the day-to-day management of the INK
  • Work with the INK Executive Director and other state agencies participating in the INK to establish the following:
    • A standard compliance framework timeframe for the submission of data to the INK
    • Interagency policies and agreements to ensure equal access to the INK
    • Interagency policies and agreements to ensure the ongoing success of the INK
  • Arrange for staff necessary to administer the INK
  • Develop and implement a detailed data security and safeguarding plan
  • Develop and implement policies to provide routine and ongoing compliance with FERPA and other relevant privacy laws and policies
  • Establish the policy and research agenda for the INK
  • Establish policies for responding to data requests from the state, local agencies, the general assembly, and the public. The policies established under this subdivision must provide for access to data in the INK requested by the legislative department of state government. If the data requested by the legislative department includes data that is restricted by federal law, regulation, or executive order, the INK Governance Committee shall provide access to the legislative department to the restricted data to the extent permitted by the applicable federal law, regulation, or executive order.
  • Oversee the development of public access to the INK System in a manner that:
    • Permits research using the data in aggregated form
    • Cannot provide information that allows the identification of a specific individual or entity
  • Submit, not later than September 1, 2015, and not later than September 1 each year thereafter, to the Governor and to the legislative council in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6, a report covering the following for the most recent fiscal year:
    • An update concerning the administration of the INK Program and the INK Governance Committee’s activities
    • An overview of all studies performed
    • Any proposed or planned expansions of the data maintained by the INK Program
    • Any other recommendations made by the INK Executive Director and the INK Governance Committee

The INK Executive Director participates as a non-voting member of the INK Executive Committee and is responsible for the daily administration of the data system. The director, appointed by the Governor, is required to:[3]

  • Work with the INK Governance Committee, state agencies, and other entities participating in the INK to develop and implement appropriate policies and procedures concerning the INK data quality, integrity, transparency, security, and confidentiality
  • Coordinate the provision and delivery of data, as determined by the INK Governance Committee, to ensure that research project timelines and deliverables to stakeholders are met
  • Provide reports concerning the INK and the INK Executive Director’s activities to the Governor and the INK Governance Committee
  • Work in collaboration with the INK Governance Committee to hire staff as necessary to administer the INK
  • Perform other duties as assigned by the Governor

The INK Executive Director is required to perform the following for review and approval by the INK Governance Committee:[4]

  • Prepare a standard compliance time frame for the submission of data to the INK
  • Propose any interagency policies or agreements necessary to ensure equal access to the INK system or any such policies and agreements to ensure the ongoing success of the INK
  • Arrange for staff necessary to administer the INK
  • Propose the policy and research agenda for the INK for review and approval of the INK Governance Committee
  • Oversee the development of public access to the INK in a manner that permits research using the data in aggregated form and cannot provide information that allows the identification of a specific individual or entity

The INK is developed and maintained by the Management and Performance Hub (MPH). The MPH is an entity of the Indiana state government, created to aid state agencies with their technological and data needs. The servers on which the Ink is located are hosted by the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT) and covered by all security policies and procedures in place at IOT. [5]

[1] Information obtained from the INK’s online site http://in.gov/ink/2337.htm
[2] Information obtained from the INK Governance Framework http://in.gov/ink/files/INK%20Governance%20Framework%202.0.pdf
[3] Information obtained from the INK Governance Framework http://in.gov/ink/files/INK%20Governance%20Framework%202.0.pdf
[4] Information obtained from the INK Governance Framework http://in.gov/ink/files/INK%20Governance%20Framework%202.0.pdf
[5] Information obtained from the INK’s online site http://in.gov/ink/2357.htm
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Data Providers

The INK links and houses data that is collected by partner agencies, such as the Indiana Department of Education (IDE), the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE), the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (IDWD), and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (IFSSA). The INK contains various data elements from Pre-K, K-12, higher education, workforce and social services. The partner agencies provide the following data records:

  • Indiana Department of Education (IDE) – K-12 data records
  • Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE) – Higher-Ed data records
  • Indiana Department of Workforce Development (IDWD) – Workforce data records
  • Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (IFFSA) – Pre-K data records

IFSSA provides Pre-K data elements which include information on early learning program quality, assessments, and demographic information. IFSSA also provides social service data elements which include information about assistance programs, job training, and demographic information.IDE provides K-12 data elements which include information about high school graduation, diploma earned, test scores, attendance, and demographic information. IHCE provides higher-education data element which include higher education enrollment, major pursued, cumulative semester GPA, credits attempted and earned, remediation status in English and Math, degree earned, and major area in which degree was earned. IDWD provides workforce data elements which include wage, industry of employment, and area of employment. The INK does not contain non-educational information, such as biometric information, juvenile, disciplinary, and criminal records, or medical and health information.[1]

[1] Information obtained from the INK’s online site http://www.in.gov/ink/2357.htm
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Funding

The IDE applied for federal funding through the Statewide Longitudinal Data System Grant program administered by the Institute of Education Sciences, an agency of the United States Department of Education, in 2007 and 2009. IDE was awarded two grants, the 2007 SLDS Grant and the 2012 SLDS Grant, to create a comprehensive P-20 data system. The 2007 SLDS Grant awarded Indiana $5,188,260 for the purpose of building upon and integrating its data collection system into a comprehensive P-20 data system. These funds were used to pay for the various costs associated with the development of a data system, which include: personnel costs, travel costs, equipment costs, and contractual costs. The proposed outcomes to be produced using this funding were to:[1]

  • Add unique ID’s for educators and staff members, allowing linkages between educator level data and student achievement data
  • Continue to collect the data necessary to formally link information strategy with the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT) on statewide architecture standards
  • Continue to move toward a comprehensive identity management solution
  • Enact a data management model that comprehends the full life cycle of data creation and use

The 2012 SLDS Grant awarded Indiana $3,965,160 for the development of a federated data system capable of linking K-12, higher education and workforce data. These funds were used to pay for the various costs associated with the development of a data system. The proposed outcomes to be produced using this funding were to:[2]

  • Develop a federated data system that will enable automated linkages between K-12, higher education and workforce data
  • Establish a governance council and a well-defined research agenda to guide the development and expansion of the proposed system
[1] Information obtained from the 2007 Indiana SLDS Grant Application https://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/pdf/Indiana2007.pdf
[2] Information obtained from the 2012 Indiana SLDS Grant Application https://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/pdf/Indiana2012.pdf
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Research Accommodation

Outside researchers must send a brief description of their data request to datarequest@ink.in.gov, and an INK team member will contact you to discuss your request in more detail. Outside researchers who meet the required FERPA and IDEA criteria and have a valid data request that requires cross-agency data records must then submit a comprehensive data request that complies to the INK data request template. This request will be analyzed by INK, the partner agencies involved in the data request, and any affiliated representatives of these partner agencies. Revisions for the request will be discussed and communicated to the requestor. Partner agencies will choose to either opt in or out of the research study. The requestor will be notified if their request has been approved through this point. The INK staff will organize the required data, this data will be reviewed by all entities involved with the study for accuracy and disclosure avoidance. Once this data is approved, the requested data will be sent to the requestor through a secure transfer method once a DSA is complete. [1]

[1] Information obtained from the INK’s online site http://www.in.gov/ink/files/Data%20Request%20Process%20(WorkFlow)%20External.pdf
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Public User Portal

The INK has a public user portal which provides a comprehensive overview of the data system and a thorough explanation about the purpose of the data system. This public user portal includes the following segments: About, Contact, INK Research, News, Privacy, Resources, and Partners. These segments provide robust information and resources to parties interested in learning about the INK. The INK public user portal does not provide interactive dashboards that create visual graphics of the data housed in the INK. However, most of the partner agencies, such as the IDE, ICHE and IDWD, have public user portals on their online sites which provide interactive dashboards to interested users. [1]

[1] Information obtained from the INK’s online site http://www.in.gov/ink/index.htm
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Indiana statute, IC 22-4.5-10, provides the guiding legal framework for the INK and the partner agencies that participate with the data system. This statute establishes the purpose of the INK, the requirements that the INK must meet, how INK data must be submitted and used, the power and duties of the governance committee, and the responsibilities of the INK director. [1]

[1] Information obtained from IC 22-4.5-10 http://iga.in.gov/legislative/laws/2015/ic/titles/022/articles/4.5/chapters/010/
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DQC

The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan national advocacy organization that evaluates each state’s longitudinal data system to determine how effectively each state uses their data system for education improvement purposes. The DQC’s annual survey, Data for Action (DFA)[1], measures each state’s progress towards implementing the 10 Essential Elements of Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems and the Ten State Actions to Ensure Effective Data Use[2], a set of elements and policy actions proposed to produce quality data systems and increase student achievement within in each state.

Indiana has currently met each of the 10 essential elements:

  • Element 1 – Statewide student identifier
  • Element 2 – Student-level enrollment data
  • Element 3 – Student-level test data
  • Element 4 – Information on untested students
  • Element 5 – Statewide teacher identifier with a teacher-student match
  • Element 6 – Student-level course completion data
  • Element 7 – Student-level SAT, ACT, and Advanced Placement exam data
  • Element 8 – Student-level graduation and dropout data
  • Element 9 – Ability to match student-level P-12 and higher education data
  • Element 10 – State data audit system

Indiana has currently met 9 of the 10 state actions:

  • State Action 1 – Link state K-12 data systems with early learning, postsecondary, workforce, and other critical state agency data systems
  • State Action 2 – Create stable, sustainable support for longitudinal data systems
  • State Action 3 – Develop governance structures for longitudinal data systems
  • State Action 4 – Build state data repositories
  • State Action 5 – Provide timely, role-based access to data
  • State Action 6 – Create progress reports with student-level data for educators, students, and parents
  • State Action 7 – Create reports with longitudinal statistics to guide system-level change
  • State Action 8 – Develop a purposeful research agenda
  • State Action 10 – Promote strategies to raise awareness of available data

Indiana has failed to meet the following state action:

  • State Action 9 – Implement policies and promote practices to build educators’ capacity to use data

Data Quality Campaign score: 9/10

[1] DQC’s annual survey, Data for Action (DFA), is a powerful tool to inform efforts in education to better use data in decision making. It is a series of analyses that highlight state progress and key priorities to promote the effective use of longitudinal data to improve student achievement
[2] DQC’s 10 Essential Elements of Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems and 10 State Actions to Ensure Effective Data Use provide a roadmap for state policymakers to create a culture of effective data use in which quality data are not only collected but also used to increase student achievement
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Contact

INK Team
Carol Torres
Data Analyst
Phone: (317) 234-3094
Email: ctorres@ink.in.gov

Jeff Hudnall
Executive Director
Phone: (317) 232-0965
Email: jhudnall@ink.in.gov

Lora Walker
Program Director
Phone: (317) 232-7769
Email: lwalke1@ink.in.gov

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Schematic

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State Response

SLDS stakeholders listed under Contacts (above) have been provided a copy of this State Profile and given an opportunity to provide comments in response.  No comments have been received for this state to date.

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