Colorado’s new State Longitudinal Data System will help strengthen privacy and security while making data more accessible to students, families, communities and leaders to support easier decision-making.
Gov. Jared Polis recently announced his appointment to the governing board for the forthcoming Statewide Longitudinal Data System. These appointments will join leaders from state agencies to help realize the vision of better education and workforce data for the state.
This governing board, established through legislation passed earlier this year, will oversee the establishment of consistent, appropriate, secure, and legal data-sharing methods focused on education and workforce outcomes and postsecondary and workforce readiness program data.
The work this board advises will be critical in ensuring that Coloradans have the information they need to pursue relevant educational pathways that help them achieve their full potential. It will also help decision-makers continue to strengthen educational programs for learners across Colorado.
Data was among the most significant barriers for the Secondary, Postsecondary, and Work-Based Learning Taskforce, a group of leaders and educators that met to make recommendations for strengthening and streamlining career and college programs offered in high schools. The group could not access outcomes data to assess the impact of these programs because, though it existed, it was located across different entities and was too difficult to bring together and analyze.
“It became obvious through the [1215] Task Force process that one of the biggest barriers to the equitable access of high-quality programming in high school was lack of information and awareness on all sides.”
– Joe Kuntner, Business Representative on the Task Force & Colorado Succeeds Board Chair
I saw something similar throughout my work in government; while we had the promise of information, it didn’t always make it to the right people. Part of the challenge was that each agency had its priorities and responsibilities, and there was no coordinating entity to prioritize state-wide needs. While Colorado has typically been a leader in access to education data, we are seeing other states leapfrog us through more robust SLDS systems, governance structures, and access points, increasing privacy protections and creating additional efficiencies. |
I’m proud to serve in this role as an ex-officio member of the governing board, along with colleagues from a variety of industries and with a wide range of expertise:
- Brian Eschbacher of Denver, Colorado, to serve as a public member, appointed;
- TeRay Esquibel of Aurora, Colorado, to serve as a public member, appointed;
- Jessica Kostelnik of Denver, Colorado, to serve as a representative of the Governor’s Office, appointed;
- Rebecca Tyus of Denver, Colorado, to serve as a representative of the Office of State Planning and Budgeting, appointed.
Together, we can create a system that ensures our state’s learners, families, educators, and communities have access to the information they need to reach their full potential.
You can follow the work of Colorado’s governing board and working groups here.
Read more via the website of Gov. Jared Polis
