West Virginia among 24 states to win grants for Longitudinal Data Systems

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) announced today 24 new state-level grants to support the design and implementation of Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS). The 2012 winners include eight first-time SLDS grantees: Delaware, Oklahoma, New Jersey, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The 2012 grants, which range in size from $2.6 million to $5 million for 3-year projects, are authorized by the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002, Title II of the statute that created IES. The 2012 grants will support states’ work in one of three priority areas:

1.    The design, development, and implementation of a statewide, longitudinal kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) data system;
2.    The development and linking of early childhood data with the State’s K-12 data system; or
3.    The development and linking of postsecondary and/or workforce data with the State’s K-12 data system.

IES awarded nine Priority 1 (K-12) grants, one Priority 2 (early childhood) grant, and fourteen Priority 3 (postsecondary/workforce) grants. The total multi-year value of all FY12 grants is $97 million.

The 2012 grantees were selected in a competition with award decisions based on the merit of the applicants’ proposals and the funding available for the program. The 20 States that received Recovery Act grants were not eligible to apply for this round of funding. An independent peer review panel evaluated the proposals, on need for the project, project goals and outcomes, activities and timeline, management and governance, and personnel and financial resources.

Awardees and grant amounts are as follows:

Alaska – $4.0 million (Priority 3)
Arizona – $5.0 million (Priority 1)
Delaware – $4.6 million (Priority 1)
District of Columbia – $4.0 million (Priority 3)
Hawaii – $3.4 million (Priority 3)
Idaho – $3.1 million (Priority 3)
Indiana – $4.0 million (Priority 3)
Iowa – $3.7 million (Priority 3)
Kentucky – $3.6 million (Priority 3)
Maryland – $4.0 million (Priority 3)
Montana – $4.0 million (Priority 3)
Nebraska – $4.4 million (Priority 1)
Nevada – $4.0 million (Priority 3)
New Hampshire – $5.0 million (Priority 1)
New Jersey – $4.0 million (Priority 3)
North Carolina – $3.6 million (Priority 3)
North Dakota – $3.9 million (Priority 3)
Oklahoma – $5.0 million (Priority 1)
Puerto Rico – $4.7 million (Priority 1)
Rhode Island – $4.0 million (Priority 3)
South Dakota – $3.0 million (Priority 1)
Vermont – $4.9 million (Priority 1)
Virgin Islands – $2.6 million (Priority 2)
West Virginia – $4.8 million (Priority 1)

About the SLDS Grant Program
Better decisions require better information. This principle lies at the heart of the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program. Through grants and a growing range of services and resources, the program has helped propel the successful design, development, implementation, and expansion of K-12 and P-20W (early learning through the workforce) longitudinal data systems. These systems are intended to enhance the ability of States to efficiently and accurately manage, analyze, and use education data, including individual student records. The SLDSs should help States, districts, schools, educators, and other stakeholders to make data-informed decisions to improve student learning and outcomes, as well as to facilitate research to increase student achievement and close achievement gaps. For more information about the grants or the SLDS Grant Program, or for SLDS-related resources, visit http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds.