Interagency Data Systems

Interagency data systems share data across the early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary education systems, using defined policies and relationships for doing so. States are exploring how to establish a data governance structure that addresses interagency data sharing, including confidentiality concerns. Frequently, departments of labor and workforce development are being included in the discussion as states examine career readiness. Many states assign a unique state student identifier to each student at the first registration for school, including early childhood programs such as birth-to-three special education services and state-supported preschool. This ID is used through high school, and policies are being crafted to transfer the state student ID into higher education. Such an ID would facilitate the tracking of students who are enrolled in dual enrollment programs and internships, as well as those applying to college. In order to accurately track college and career readiness, it is important to link transition from high school with postsecondary and workplace systems.