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Got LDS Grant Money? Now What?
If your state received longitudinal data system (LDS) grant funding, or if you are making plans to apply soon, the most important consideration of the project is – how will your state collect statewide student data for the best results? Many solutions are available on the market and many attempts have been made at building an effective LDS, but it always comes back to the basics – collecting accurate statewide student data – the first step to the success with any LDS.

Broad Data Collection
To make the best decisions to improve student achievement, data first needs to be collected in the classroom, school, and district. A breadth of rich student data linking to the classroom teacher is an important building block of the LDS.

The system needs to gather data from across the state. It should collect more than the basic information to fully understand achievement. It should collect attendance, grades, standards achievement, assessment results, demographics, free and reduced lunch status, and other important state-specific data about each student.

The system should also collect information about each teacher and staff member. Information about professional development progress, effectiveness in the classroom and how well activities work are key indicators which lead to a better understanding of how instruction is affecting student achievement.

Collect Data from the Source
Another building block of the LDS is the ability to manage accurate data entered at the source in real time. Information entered by all teachers and staff across the state as it occurs should be available to those who use it. Data is more effective when it is available immediately so decisions can be made today rather than after graduation when it’s too late.

Access in the Classroom or at Home
Data should be provided in the classroom and at home in real time – not during the next school year. It has been proven that when a teacher can make adjustments immediately in the classroom, students do better – whether it’s giving an extra assignment, one-on-one tutoring, or a different instructional approach.

When parents have access to what is going on in the classroom, students tend to improve academically overall. When parents can login to check their student’s attendance, grades, and upcoming assignments, they actually act as the teacher’s assistant and home counselor.

By working together with real-time data, teachers, parents, and students will improve overall achievement without additional regulations to force it to happen.

Commercial Off-the-Shelf System
Infinite Campus is a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) statewide student data collection and accountability system which is necessary as the first step building a LDS. Infinite Campus has been delivering a statewide student data collection system for over seven years. It delivers a breadth of accurate real-time data from the source to meet reporting requirements.

When the state also provides the Infinite Campus District Edition, students, instructors, and parents benefit from the real-time data in the classroom and home. Information is available today rather than six months after graduation. 

Infinite Campus is a proven COTS system that has been used in five very unique statewide approaches to accomplish the same goal – the collection of accurate, statewide student data.

Statewide Data Collection - Your Way
Every state has unique needs and no one way of analyzing or reporting data is similar. That is why South Dakota, Montana, Kentucky, Maine and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) rely on Infinite Campus as a partner to collect the data they need.

South Dakota and Maine offered the Infinite Campus District Edition to its districts at no cost while using the state system to collect data from a variety of student information systems (SIS). Montana uses the system to collect data from multiple district SIS, including Infinite Campus District Edition, and also provides an embedded Infinite Campus solution for smaller districts to enter data direct.

Kentucky required the use of the district system at no cost to all districts and uses the state level system for reporting.

The fourth model, used by the BIE, collects data from multiple states, incorporates various tribal management regulations, accommodates different state reporting requirements, and adheres to the BIE federal oversight requirements. Data collection in four very unique models all working – TODAY.See state success stories for additional information.

Meeting Federal Goals
Your state can use Infinite Campus to meet the data collection goals set by the federal DOE:
• generate accurate and timely data to meet reporting requirements;
• support evidence-based education decision making;
• increase the efficiency and organization of transferring education data among schools, districts and states; and
• improve student achievement.

The use of an effective statewide data collection system will generate accurate data and put it in the hands of those who need it.

Infinite Campus can also generate the reports you need to have monthly update conversations with the IES about the use of your LDS grant dollars.

Step Two - Data Warehouse
When you have the data collection system in place, step two is to build the actual data warehouse. The data warehouse combines data from many sources including Infinite Campus.

Infinite Campus provides a free solution to flatten transactional student data so you can populate your longitudinal data system or warehouse.

It Starts with Student Data
Infinite Campus is the data collection system your state needs to begin building a LDS. No need to try to build a student data collection system from scratch or work with unproven solutions in these uncertain economic times.
For more information about how it can work for you and its many features tailored for state departments of education, contact your Infinite Campus representative today.