New York State Awarded $19.7 Million Grant For Data Systems

Education Commissioner David Steiner and Senior Deputy Commissioner John King today announced that New York State was awarded $19.7 million by the United States Education Department toward the design and implementation of a statewide longitudinal data system.  The award to New York was the largest of 20 made in a competition that drew applications from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

“The Board of Regents and I are committed to creating an outstanding longitudinal data system.  Accurate and timely data is critical to our efforts to provide teachers, school leaders, students and parents with the information they need to raise academic outcomes across the state,” said Education Commissioner David Steiner.  “I am thus delighted by the news of these competitively awarded funds.”

The statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS) award to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) will support the expansion of the current P-12 data system to begin to match student, teacher, and course information.  This grant includes funding to support the beginning of P-20 system linkages with the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY).

The funding will enable NYSED to greatly augment its database to support research and policy analysis.  The funding will also support enhancements to the system for tracking student progress and outcomes over time to include students’ preparation to meet the demands of postsecondary education.   NYSED will make further improvements to ensure the quality and integrity of data across all systems.

“Our P-20 data system is a rich resource we are using to inform improvements to education in New York State,” said John King, Senior Deputy Commissioner for P-12 Education.  “We are building a data rich foundation for the continuous analysis and improvement of the state’s education structure.”

In total, $250 million was awarded this year through the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems grant competition.   SLDS grants are funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 to support the development and implementation of data systems to enable states to examine student progress from early childhood into career.  The systems include matching teachers to students while protecting student privacy and confidentiality consistent with applicable privacy protection laws.  The New York State Education Department will continue to seek state and federal resources to support the completion of the P-20 longitudinal data system and the development of a statewide instructional reporting system.