Using Data to Help Every Student Succeed

 

New website will help inform educators, parents and policymakers

Contact: Sandy Connolly, Director of Communications
Office of Higher Education
(651) 259-3902

ST. PAUL, MN--With more jobs expected to require some form of postsecondary attainment, a new state website is now available to help parents, educators and policymakers make informed decisions about education.

For example, consumers can learn how many students at public Minnesota high schools are prepared for postsecondary education, and if they go, whether or not they finish. Data such as this will play a key role in informing Minnesotans about how students are doing and direct efforts to open up postsecondary opportunities for everyone.

The information is made available by the Minnesota Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System (SLEDS) mobile analytics site. Consumers can now view data about student progress and pathways from secondary education into postsecondary education in an easy-to-use format. Users can create customized displays by selecting specific graduation years, high schools and districts.

"The interactive reporting of the new SLEDS site offers an opportunity for users to explore the data that is the most meaningful to them," said Larry Pogemiller, Commissioner of the Office of Higher Education. "This information is aimed at helping educators and policymakers make informed decisions about policy and funding."

SLEDS is a joint effort from Minnesota's Office of Higher Education (OHE), the Departments of Education (MDE) and the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The new SLEDS site was created using Mobile First Analytics standards, making the site user friendly on all mobile devices and accessible to all. This is the first release of the site; users can expect new reports and features in a second release to be available in December 2014.

"Together we are working to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed in life after high school. This new system and data mining tool will inform our continuous improvement, accountability, research, evaluation and decision making in the future," Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius said.

"As Minnesota's economy continues to grow, it is crucial that we help students identify pathways into post-secondary options and align our workforce with jobs that are in demand," said DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben. "SLEDS is the result of state agencies working together to link data across sectors, and will be important for our work well into the future."

SLEDS brings together data from education and workforce to identify viable pathways for individuals in achieving successful outcomes in education and work. It will also inform decisions to support and improve education and workforce policy, helping to create a more seamless education and workforce system for all Minnesotans.

This is the third SLEDS data product for 2014. The two prior products include the Graduate Outcomes data tool from the Department of Employment and Economic Development and Getting Prepared 2014, a report on developmental education in Minnesota by the Office of Higher Education.

To access the mobile analytics site, visit sleds.mn.gov

Feedback on the mobile analytics site is welcome; please share your reaction or ideas for improvement with sleds.support@state.mn.us.

For more information contact Sandy Connolly at 651-259-3902 or by email at sandy.connolly@state.mn.us.