State sets guidelines for student data collection

After some residents expressed concerns over data collection in state schools, the Alabama State Board Education (ALSDE) took a proactive step to ensure the collection and use of student data follows strict guidelines with regard to privacy and confidentiality.

Last week the ALSDE approved a resolution that officially adopted a Data Use and Governance Policy that prohibits federal or state reports from containing personally identifiable data; that requires all data collected to be stored in a state-developed and state-owned data warehouse; and that mandates access to this data be restricted to pre-screened employees.

The rules for the governance and use of data were created to dispel some of the concerns about data collection.

Student data collection has lumped in with Common Core State Standards, but collection of academic information is not a requirement of the standards. 

Forty-five states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories have adopted common core standards for at least one subject.

Common core was created to make sure U.S. students are prepared for college through a more rigorous set of standards set at the federal level.

Though several conservative groups have opposed common core, calling it a federal intrusion into state education, Alabama used CCSS for to create College and Career Read standards in mathematics and English.

Alabama’s public schools will be collecting some student data, mostly academic performance data that has been collected at the school level for years.

Data collection allows educators and professionals to study the academic patterns of students and student groups, which is effective when determining learning and teaching styles.

An ALSDE press release said the new Data Use and Governance Policy also aims to limit the disclosure of any data collected through third-party testing organizations, which restricts unauthorized data mining or re-disclosure of student-level data.

“Data is a powerful tool in determining the learning needs of students, and we must not lose sight of that. At the same time, however, we need to assure parents, students and the citizens of our State of our due diligence in protecting that data from inappropriate use,” said State Superintendent of Education Tommy Bice.

Among the highlights of the Data Use and Governance Policy:

▪ The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) does not collect individual student data directly from students or families. This function is retained at the local school and system level through our state-funded and state-owned student data management system.

▪ All data elements collected and transferred to the U. S. Department of Education are based on the reporting requirements contained in EDFacts and include only aggregated data with no personally identifiable data.

▪ Data collected by the ALSDE is maintained within a secure infrastructure environment, with a remote location for disaster recovery.

▪ All of Alabama’s Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are to have a locally-adopted student records governance and use policy. These policies and their implementation will be monitored by the ALSDE as part of our Comprehensive Monitoring.

“This is the first step in the data policy,” Bice said. “With technology gaining an even greater presence in school programs, the State Board has committed to an ongoing oversight of the use and privacy of data, which may involve additional policies. We are fully committed to ensuring that the privacy rights of our students and parents are protected.”