An Update from WICHE’s Multistate Data Exchange Project NCES Forum July 9, 2012

General Background  Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded  Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) managed  WA, OR, ID, HI  Includes K-12, postsecondary and labor representatives  Focus on the necessary architecture, governance structures, and standard reporting while complying with applicable privacy laws

Background on WICHE’s Multistate Data Exchange Pilot Project My State’s Postsecondary My State’s Secondary Credential My State’s Labor Force Other States’ Education Institutions Other States’ Labor Force

Four “Big Picture” Questions 1.How are former high school students performing in postsecondary education? 2. How are former high school students performing in the workforce? 3. How are former postsecondary students performing in the workforce? 4. How are current and former workforce participants accessing formal education systems?

Research Questions Embedded in MOA 1. What are the patterns of postsecondary enrollment and employment of high school graduates from each participating state? 2. What are the patterns of postsecondary enrollment and employment of students in public postsecondary institutions in participating states? 3. By more fully accounting for individual mobility across state lines, to what extent does sharing data among states supplement existing state data resources available for conducting evaluations leading to policy and program improvements?

Enrollment records Employed in OR Credential(s) earned Employed in HI, ID, or WA Key for Next Slide

Begin at OR public IHE Begin at public IHE in HI, ID, or WA Begin at private/out- of-4-state IHE No xfer/ Xfer to OR public IHE Xfer to public IHE in HI, ID, or WA Xfer to private/ out-of- 4-state IHE Xfer to OR public IHE No xfer/ Xfer to public IHE in HI, ID, or WA Xfer to private/ out-of- 4-state IHE Xfer to OR public IHE Xfer to public IHE in HI, ID, or WA No xfer/ Xfer to private/ out-of- 4-state IHE Oregon High School Graduates No college No employment information Data Exchange SLDS If no SSN Key: Enrollment records Employed in OR Credential(s) earned Employed in HI, ID, or WA Darker shading,, means full data are available. Lighter shading with stripes,, means partial data are available. No shading,, means no data are available. SLDS representations do not include data made available through its own use of National Student Clearinghouse data or through bilateral data-sharing agreements with other states. The lack of employment data for those who don’t attend college is tied to the absence of SSNs common in K-12 data systems, though some states are seeking ways to obtain one from other sources. Employment data for states not included in the data exchange are unavailable for all student pathways.

Cohort B: First-time PSE Undergrads Vendor (NSC) “Core” Exchange Dataset Labor HI ID OR WA WA Enhanced Dataset HI Enhanced Dataset ID Enhanced Dataset OR Enhanced Dataset Report Exhibit 4 Data Exchange Process/Architecture K-12 Data HI ORWA ID PSE Data HI ORWA ID Cohort A: High School Graduates 1 PSE Data HIID ORWA NSC Main Collection 3 via Education Agency* * except in OR, where data will go directly to/from the Oregon Employment Department

Products 1. Aggregated analysis tracking human capital development and mobility among four states. 2. Enhanced identifiable data returned to state agencies with legitimate interests. 3. The infrastructure – governance and architecture – necessary to sustain the data exchange and expand to or export to additional states.

Status  Current activities  Memoranda of Agreement signed  Cohort extraction and submission completed  States’ extraction of postsecondary enrollment and awards records in process  States’ submission of SSNs completed  States’ matching of UI wage record files in process  Ongoing refinement of data element derivations  Building sustainability  Architecture  Governance  Financing beyond the grant

Lessons So Far  Process  Time-intensive, sequential process  Multi-state-ness adds complexity  Use of CEDS as starting point for data elements  Trust building and unique state contexts  Unequal value propositions  Data availability  Interpretation and use  The real value of the exchange is in incorporating workforce data, but…  Making sense of earnings without wage rate data  Limitations on within-state disaggregation and on tracking individual mobility among employers  Distributed nature of enhanced data  Accountability demands as data analyses are generated  Policy interventions need to be aimed at transition points