Virginia

The following profile is a representation of the Virgin 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 Statutes
DQC Contact Schematic State Response
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Download State Profile VLDS Dashboard VLDS Website NCES Funding:
2007
2009-ARRA

Introduction

The Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS)[1] is Virginia’s public education state longitudinal data system (SLDS)[2] jointly managed by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)[3], the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)[4], the Virginia Community College System (VCCS)[5], and the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC)[6]. The VLDS, created for the purpose of analyzing Virginia’s public education data at the individual, course, institution, and system levels, links data records from the breadth of the Virginia public education systems. The federated data collection systems are part of a nation-wide effort to record granular public education detail over time in order to document the entirety of the 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.

Virginia 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 Virginia Longitudinal Data System is a federated data system that gives the state of Virginia a cost-effective mechanism for extracting, shaping and analyzing partner agency data https://vlds.virginia.gov/about-vlds
[2]  State longitudinal data systems are intended to enhance the ability of states to efficiently and accurately manage, analyze, and use education data nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/about_SLDS.asp
[3] The Virginia Department of Education cooperates with local school boards to increase student learning and academic achievement http://www.doe.virginia.gov/about/index.shtml
[4] The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia is the state of Virginia’s coordinating body for higher education http://www.schev.edu/index/agency-info/agency-overview
[5] The Virginia Community College System was created in 1966 to address Virginia’s unmet needs in higher education and workforce training http://www.vccs.edu/about/
[6] The Virginia Employment Commission works to connect employees with potential employers, jobs, and training opportunities as well as collect research wage, industry, and occupational trend data http://www.vec.virginia.gov/
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Evaluation Criteria

This review assesses the overall quality of the VLDS 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 VLDS 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 VLDS is governed by Data Governance Committee (DGC), a committee that consists of representatives from each of the state agencies that jointly manage the data system. The DGC is the primary governing body of the VLDS, charged with developing and implementing the data system. The DGC’s specific roles are listed below:[1]

  • Adopt bylaws and make changes to bylaws and the VLDS Book of Data Governance
  • Develop and approve VLDS policies and procedures
  • Provide oversight, vision, and leadership to the Data Steward Workgroup (DSW)
  • Serve as the Authority for escalation of issues and recommendations from the DSW

The DGC consists of representatives from each of the state agencies that contribute primary data to the VDLS, the fiscal agent of the VLDS (VDOE), and the Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA). Members are appointed by their head of their agency or a designee for an annual term. These members are expected to perform the following tasks:[2]

  • Attend and participate in scheduled DGC meetings; if a representative is unable to attend a meeting, it is their responsibility to designate an alternative representative
  • Report to the DGC regarding data issues, new data regulations, and new policies affecting data
  • Communicate with their agency regarding activities and decisions of the DGC
  • Support and advocate data management and governance practices to agency staff

The DGC is authorized to form and disband sub-committees that address needs and issues regarding the VLDS. The DGC has formed the System Governance Sub-committee to address topics that have a direct impact on the process and structure of the VLDS. The System Governance Sub-committee ensures the decision making processes and technology related work of the VLDS are properly controlled. All decisions made by the System Governance Sub-committee must be reviewed and approved by the DGC before becoming official.

The Data Stewards Workgroup (DSW) works under the DGC and has the authority to implement and support data management and governance practices within their respective organizations. The mission of the DSW is to ensure the availability of data in the VLDS is sufficient to answer critical questions pertaining to the state’s education system and workforce. The DSW members are designated by heads of each participating agency and the DGC.  These Data Stewards are expected to:

  • Drive VLDS data initiatives internally within their individual organizations
  • Serve as the authority for implementation of policies and procedures set by the DGC
  • Have the responsibility to determine the resources necessary from their respective agencies
  • Maintain a statewide perspective rather than an individual agency view

The Data Stewards also are expected to perform the following tasks:

  • Report to their respective DGC representatives regarding data issues, new data regulations, and new policies affecting data as well as help propose resolutions
  • Communicate with their respective agencies regarding activities and decisions of the DGC and their potential impact upon their agencies’ systems
  • Communicate with the DGC of any changes in their agencies’ systems and their potential impact upon the VLDS
  • Provide data analysis related to their agencies’ contributing data
  • Regularly evaluate the quality of the data being provided for use by the VLDS
  • Identify opportunities to share and re-use data in accordance with policies implemented by the DGC
  • Provide the DGC with recommendations on issues such as data security, system infrastructure, and metadata
  • Track federal and state legislation involving data elements and translate this impact for the VLDS

The VLDS is a federated data system, meaning that it does not utilize a centralized data warehouse to collect data records. Instead, it links data records from each of the participating agencies. These agencies are expected to maintain their in-house data systems in compliance with the policies and mandates set by the DGC.[3]

[1] Information provided by the VLDS Book of Data Governance http://www.doe.virginia.gov/school_finance/arra/stabilization/reported_data/assurance_b/2011-2012/attachment_v.pdf
[2] Information provided by the VLDS Book of Data Governance http://www.doe.virginia.gov/school_finance/arra/stabilization/reported_data/assurance_b/2011-2012/attachment_v.pdf
[3] Information provided by the VLDS online site http://vlds.virginia.gov/insights
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Data Providers

The VLDS is a federated data system that merges data from participating state agencies on an ad-hoc basis. These participating agencies provide the following data records:[1]

  • Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) – K-12 data records
  • State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) – Higher-Ed data records
  • Virginia Community College System (VCCS) – Post-secondary data records
  • Virginia Employment Commission – Workforce data records
  • Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) – Healthcare data records
  • Virginia Department of Health Professions – Healthcare data records

Data records are merged through a complex double-deidentifying hashing process that leaves private data behind the firewalls of the participating agencies. This process prevents the release of personally identifiable information such as student names, birth dates or state-testing identifiers. Identifiable data are replaced by randomly generated identifiers by each agency prior to being merged and matched by the VLDS. During this merging, the agency-assigned identifiers are replaced by new VLDS-generated random identifiers. The algorithms used to produce the VLDS identifiers expire and are automatically destroyed after each inquiry, providing unique encryption for every VLDS data merge. [2]

[1] Information provided by the VLDS online site http://vlds.virginia.gov/about-vlds
[2] Information provided by the Virginia Department of Education VLDS Information Statement http://www.doe.virginia.gov/info_management/longitudinal_data_system/vlds_information.pdf
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Funding

The VDOE 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 2006 and 2009. Virginia was awarded two grants, the 2007 SLDS Grant and the 2009 ARRA SLDS Grant for the purpose of developing and enhancing its state longitudinal data system. The 2007 SLDS Grant awarded Virginia $6,054,394 for the purpose of building the foundational components of VLDS. This funding was used for the various costs associated with developing a data system, including: travel costs, equipment costs, supplies costs, contractual costs, and indirect costs. The proposed outcomes to be produced using this funding include: [1]

  • Addressment of the following limitations of current data systems in Virginia
    • Capacity to exchange data across institutions within the state and with institutions in other states, in conformance with FERPA
      • Supporting the recommendations of Virginia’s P-16 Council by adopting a standard electronic student record that can be transferred from school-to-school, in and out of state, and from K-12 to higher education institutions
    • A data warehouse or comparable means for managing and storing longitudinally linked data and making them accessible to teachers, schools, districts, and researchers
  • Supporting the vision of the 2003 RFP and the recommendations of the 2006 study by providing a user-friendly interface to the data warehouse developing the ability to incorporate locally stored data (such as local assessments) into the decision support component; and providing analysis of graduation requirements to building-level educators
  • Acknowledged data quality issues at the local level
    • Supporting school divisions in addressing data quality issues by providing a comprehensive, role-based training program that produces awareness of the need for quality data and role-based accountability for quality data or the lack thereof

The 2009 ARRA SLDS Grant awarded Virginia $5,517,228 for the purpose of further expanding the capabilities of VLDS. This funding was used to pay for the various costs associated with the development of a data system, which include: travel costs, equipment costs, supplies costs, contractual costs, and indirect costs. The proposed outcomes to be produced using this funding include: [2]

  • Create an integrated K-12 student-teacher information system
  • Create a longitudinal data linking and reporting system
  • Develop a web-based portal to access education and workforce data
  • Design a data management and control system
  • Develop a secure mechanism for post-secondary institutions to receive high school transcripts in the form of electronic data
[1] Information obtained from the Virginia 2007 SLDS Grant Application https://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/pdf/Virginia2007.pdf
[2] Information obtained from the 2009 Virginia ARRA SLDS Grant Application https://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/pdf/Virginia2009-ARRA.pdf
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Research Accommodation

Outside researchers interested in analyzing data contained in the VLDS must work with a sponsoring agency to develop and refine research questions consistent with the respective agency’s research agenda. Once an outside researcher has gained preliminary approval for their project, they must submit a formal research request to the sponsoring agency. This request must provide a description of the project, identification and contact information of each researcher associated with the project, a non-disclosure agreement signed by each of these researchers, and the select data fields needed for the research. If data are requested from multiple agencies, each agency must approve and sign the data agreement. Once this approval process is complete, the researcher will be provided access to develop and execute their research query. After the research is conducted, the researcher must submit their findings to the sponsoring agency for review.

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Public User Portal

The VLDS public user portal is maintained by the participating agencies that provide data records to the data system. The portal puts data about Virginia’s schools and labor force in a centralized location which is easy to access and use. It provides reports that have been created through use of the VLDS

The quality of this portal will be evaluated using several different criteria which include: the user-friendliness of the portal, the extent of data offered by the portal, whether the portal is self-sufficient or relies upon other webpages to provide information, and the extent of customizable reports that can be made using the portal.

VLDS Public User Portal Evaluation:[1]

  • User-friendliness:
    • The portal is easily-accessible through the VDOE online site. The VLDS home page provides a comprehensive overview about the data system and the partnerships between participating agencies. The portal is intuitive to use and easy to navigate. Users are provided a clear overview of the sections contained in the portal and are provided step by step instructions on how to use the tools in these sections.
  • Extent of data offered:
    • The portal provides reports about K-12, higher education and workforce outcomes for on each school district and county in the state of Maryland. However, aggregate level reports that can be customized by a user’s preference are not located in the portal. These customizable reports are listed in each of the participating agencies’ online sites. Publish research created through use of the VLDS and its partners are listed on the portal as well.
  • Self-sufficiency of the portal:
    • The portal provides access to the reports that have been created through use of the data system. It also provides links to each of the participating agencies’ online sites that contain customizable information on specific groups of interest.
  • Extent of customizable reports that can be created through the portal:
    • The portal does not allow users to generate customizable reports about specific groups of interest. Instead, users must navigate to the participating agency’s online site to access customizable reports.
[1] This evaluation was conducted through analysis of the VLDS portal https://vlds.virginia.gov/about-vlds
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In 2011, the Virginia legislature passed the Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011. This act was a legislative outcome of the Governor’s Commission on Reform, Innovation and Investment in Higher Education also known as the TJ21. This legislation required the development and use of various economic opportunity metrics. The purpose of these metrics include assessing degree programs, and providing useful information on degrees to students as they make career choices, and to state policy makers and university decision makers as they allocate scarce resources. Through the VLDS, stakeholders are able to match postsecondary awards of degrees with employment outcomes to calculate accurate metrics of wage outcomes of graduates to a variety of aggregations.

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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.

Virginia 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

Virginia 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

Virginia has currently not met 1 of the 10 state actions:

  • 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

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
Tod Massa
Policy Analytics Director
Phone: 804-225-3147
Email: TodMassa@schev.edu

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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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