TSDL: Teacher Student Data Link Project
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and conducted by the Center for Educational
Leadership and Technology (CELT) with guidance and dissemination support from the Data Quality Campaign (DQC)

TSDL Discussion Questions

Questions to help states determine their readiness for and next steps toward connecting teachers and students and establishing a definition for Teacher of Record:

  1. Purpose and Use of a Teacher/Student Data Link
    1. Is this link being established for high-stakes purposes, such as rewarding high-performing teachers based on student results?
    2. Will the link be established through the course-section scheduling?
    3. Does the state foresee a more nuanced connection being established through a learning management system to standards taught?
  2. Courses and Schedules
    1. Is there a statewide common course catalog?
    2. Does it cover elementary as well as secondary grade levels?
    3. Is it aligned to state content standards?
    4. Do school districts have the ability to add local courses?
    5. Is there a course roster verification process for teachers?
    6. Is there a course roster verification process for principals?
  3. Unique Student Identifier
    1. Is there a unique student ID?
    2. Is it the student's SSN?
    3. Are there established protocols to link to the unique student ID?
    4. What student profile data is collected?
    5. Where is the student profile data housed?
  4. Unique Educator Identifier
    1. Is there a unique educator ID?
    2. Is it the educator's SSN?
    3. Are there established protocols to link to the unique educator ID?
    4. What educator profile data is collected?
    5. Where is the educator profile data housed?
  5. Daily Attendance/Membership
    1. Is attendance data recorded for individual students by course section down to elementary?
    2. Is attendance data recorded for individual teachers by course section down to elementary?
  6. Teacher of Record
    1. Does the state have a documented definition of Teacher of Record?
    2. What data elements are used in determining the Teacher of Record?
    3. Will multiple teachers of record be connected to a student for a specific course?
  7. Assessment and Outcomes Data
    1. What individual student assessment data is included in the state data system?
    2. What individual student assessment data is included in school district data systems?
    3. What other individual student outcome data is included in the state data system?
    4. What other individual student outcome data is included in school district data systems?
  8. Data Linkages, Flow and Integration
    1. Does the state have access to longitudinal achievement data for students?
    2. Do school districts have access to longitudinal achievement data for students?
    3. Do schools have access to longitudinal achievement data for individual students?
    4. Do teachers have access to longitudinal achievement data for individual students?
    5. Does the state have a learning management system?
    6. Are student records electronically transferred from school district/school to school district/school?
  9. Data Governance Structure
    1. Does the SEA have a formal data governance structure?
    2. Do LEAs have formal data governance structures?
  10. Interagency Data Systems
    1. What data system links are there between the K-12 public education system and early childhood programs?
    2. What data system links are there between the public education data system and postsecondary/higher education?
    3. What other agencies does the public education data system link to?