• Introduction
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• NASBE Resources

Data is immensely valuable to education. Effective data use supports student achievement and allows the efficient operation of schools. However, data cannot be collected without factoring in the protection of that data. Safeguarding student privacy is a critical part of data use. Policymakers have a responsibility: to define how data is used by school officials (educators and staff), state and federal agencies, and third-party vendors who are working with schools; to inform families about their right to access and amend their child’s data and know how that data is being used; and to safeguard the privacy, security, and accuracy of that data.

In order to ensure that state and local data collection is effective, secure, and protects individual rights, NASBE recommends that states create and/or supplement their state’s privacy laws and policies with the following elements:

1. A statement of the purposes of the privacy law or policy that acknowledges both the educational value of data and the importance of protecting that data;
2. The designation of a person or group that is in charge of student data privacy for the state (which could be the state board of education and/or a newly created Chief Education Privacy Officer) that is responsible for: answering any stakeholder inquiries about student data privacy; and establishing and/or implementing statewide policies to protect all student data, including any collected post-secondary or workforce data, especially personally identifiable information;
3. A set of strategies for promoting transparency and public knowledge that makes information about the “who, what, where, why, and when” of data collection easily accessible to parents and the public clarifying the importance of data for educational purposes, how that data is being used and protected, and what their rights are to view and amend their child’s data;
4. A provision limiting third-party vendors from using student data for non-educational purposes unless expressly authorized in writing by the school and allowed under federal and state law;
5. A review of the state’s current resources related to student data privacy, such as the state’s staff and technical capacity to store, manage, and protect the data;
6. The creation of minimum statewide data security standards that incorporates administrative, physical, and technical safeguards; and
7. A plan for ensuring educators and administrators have the knowledge, skills, and support to use education data effectively and securely through methods such as teacher or administrator preparation programs, annual professional development, and evaluations of classroom data use and security on an ongoing basis.

Quality data is essential for improving education systems, classroom instruction, and student achievement. State boards of education should not only support the building of a complete longitudinal data system, but also create a culture of data use to ensure that this information is used in the effort to improve student achievement and ensure that student privacy protection is an inherent part of any data system.

NASBE recommends that all state data systems have the following essential elements, based in part on recommendations by the Data Quality Campaign:

1. A unique statewide student identifier;
2. Student-level enrollment, demographic, and program participation information;
3. Ability to match individual students’ test records from year-to-year to measure academic growth;
4. Information on untested students;
5. Teacher identifier system with the ability to match teachers to students;
6. Student-level transcript information, including information on courses completed and grades earned;
7. Student-level college readiness test scores;
8. Student-level graduation and dropout data;
9. Ability to match student records between the P-12 and post-secondary system;
10. Data on student health indicators, including but not limited to mental health; tobacco, alcohol, and substance use; teen pregnancy; school safety; unintentional injuries; and physical fitness; and
11. A state data audit system assessing data quality, validity, and reliability.

State boards of education should take the following steps to promote the use of longitudinal data:

1. Ensure the longitudinal data system facilitates the easy transfer of student records between and among schools and districts.
2. Appoint a data coordinator for the state who will ensure that data use is central to all instructional and management processes.
3. Create tools, resources, and services that will assist districts and schools in using data.
4. Develop statewide professional development programs for school personnel on accessing and using data from the state longitudinal data system.
5. Ensure that all graduates of the state’s teacher colleges and certification programs are trained in using data as an instructional tool. (2009)

See NASBE Public Education Positions relating to Education Technology, or all NASBE Public Education Positions.