Expanding Postsecondary Data Collections
This summer and fall, ERDC will focus on the design and governance of two new data collections.
Expanded postsecondary collection. The legislature stipulated that to be eligible for state student financial aid programs, postsecondary institutions shall submit student-level data to the ERDC (RCW 28B.92.220). ERDC already collects postsecondary student data from Washington's public community technical colleges and universities, so this collection will expand to now include student data from the 10 Independent Colleges of Washington member campuses and 17 for-profit and not-for-profit postsecondary institutions in the state. ERDC is working closely with the institutions to plan this collection and develop a project timeline.
Financial data for public four-years. In the latest session, the legislature identified new data elements that public four-year postsecondary institutions shall submit to the ERDC. While ERDC already collects extensive student data from the public four-years through our PCHEES system, the focus on this collection will be on institution level financial data. ERDC is working in collaboration with Council of Presidents and the institutions to plan the process of this collection. See ESSB 5512 for a list of the new required data elements.
A national survey conducted in 2021 found that one in four teachers were considering leaving their job by the end of the year—compared to one in six before the pandemic. Pandemic or not, retention of educators is vital to student achievement, equitable education and school district fiscal health. A new ERDC report, Educator Endorsements and Employment: A First Look explores the relationships between educator retention and their specialty area, demographic characteristics, and school characteristics. Additional analysis examines the extent to which educators are employed in other industries either during or after working in the public K-12 system.
Nearly all Washington high school graduates take at least one Career & Technical Education (CTE) course. ERDC recently completed a study, High School CTE Course Taking in Washington State: An Overview Focused on Access and Equity aimed at describing the characteristics of "CTE concentrators" and their post-high school activities, including postsecondary enrollment and participation in apprenticeships. Additionally, this study examined students’ concentrator status by career cluster, indicating a focus on STEM or non-STEM careers.
The ERDC study entitled "Graduation Rates for Postsecondary Students: A Comparison Across Ethnic and Racial Groups" utilized the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to explore postsecondary graduation rates for Washington students. This report described graduation rates from postsecondary institutions between different ethnic and racial minoritized groups in Washington state. It also looked at graduation rates for these groups across different institutional sectors.
ERDC launched the P20W Data System Study in mid-January, and now the project is wrapping up. The Gartner Consulting team analyzed the current state of ERDC’s P20W data system and related processes, using input from stakeholder interviews and document reviews to identify key findings and strategic goals. Recommendations from the P20W Data System Study will inform how ERDC approaches future improvements to our longitudinal data environment and the technical processes that support it. Read the four page study summary here.
ERDC and Gartner are hosting an optional virtual Q&A Session on July 13th from 9 am – 9:45 am. If you’d like to join the Q&A, then please email Megan.Schoor@ofm.wa.gov for the login information.
ERDC has done significant work over the past 2 years to document and track our data requests and understand our work flows. A benefit of this process improvement is that it has reduced the amount of time it takes to fulfill data requests. We have also identified key "busy seasons" necessary for us to attend to our data warehouse maintenance.
As part of this ongoing process to improve the timeliness of our data services, we will not process any new requests by researchers outside of state government between October 1st to January 1st. These months will be used to fulfill requests that are reoccurring or already in our queue, to process data files and update our data warehouse, and to respond to legislative/state agency data requests leading up to the 2024 legislative session.
Data requests can still be submitted during these months, but if the request comes from a non-state government partner it will not be reviewed until January, 2024. If you have questions, please contact erdc@ofm.wa.gov
Consider presenting at the Washington Educational Research Association's Annual Conference! The theme is: Leveraging the Power of Collaboration: Working Together to Reimagine and Measure Success. WERA welcomes proposals in all areas of K-16 leadership and practice, especially those that that align with this year's conference theme. Proposals are due by June 30, but additional proposals may be reviewed on a rolling basis.
To propose a half-day pre-conference workshop on December 6, click here
To propose a 75-minute or 90-minute breakout session on December 7 or December 8, click here
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