(1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction is authorized to establish a longitudinal student data system for and on behalf of school districts in the state. The primary purpose of the data system is to better aid research into programs and interventions that are most effective in improving student performance, better understand the state's public educator workforce, and provide information on areas within the educational system that need improvement.

     (2) The confidentiality of personally identifiable student data shall be safeguarded consistent with the requirements of the federal family educational rights privacy act and applicable state laws. Consistent with the provisions of these federal and state laws, data may be disclosed for educational purposes and studies, including but not limited to:

     (a) Educational studies authorized or mandated by the state legislature;

     (b) Studies initiated by other state educational authorities and authorized by the office of the superintendent of public instruction, including analysis conducted by the education data center established under RCW 43.41.400; and

     (c) Studies initiated by other public or private agencies and organizations and authorized by the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

     (3) Any agency or organization that is authorized by the office of the superintendent of public instruction to access student-level data shall adhere to all federal and state laws protecting student data and safeguarding the confidentiality and privacy of student records.

     (4) Nothing in this section precludes the office of the superintendent of public instruction from collecting and distributing aggregate data about students or student-level data without personally identifiable information.

[2007 c 401 § 2.]

NOTES:

     Feasibility study -- 2007 c 401: "(1) To the extent funds are appropriated for this purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall conduct a feasibility study on expanding the longitudinal student data system beyond the elements currently collected and those required under RCW 28A.320.175.

     (2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the work group established under subsection (5) of this section, shall identify a preliminary set of additional data elements whose collection shall be field tested on a pilot basis in at least two school districts, with at least one with over twenty thousand in full-time equivalent enrollment and at least one with less than two thousand in full-time equivalent enrollment. Among the data elements to be field tested shall be course codes for a limited set of core high school mathematics courses, based on the classification of secondary school courses by the national center for education statistics.

     (3) Additional topics addressed by the feasibility study shall include, but are not limited to:

     (a) Detailed estimates on the cost of the development and implementation of the expanded data system;

     (b) A final list of specific data elements that are necessary to allow effective and efficient research on an individual school, district, and statewide basis, and of those data elements, identification of what data is currently reported by schools and school districts and what is not reported;

     (c) An implementation plan for consistent coding of secondary courses in subjects other than mathematics that is based on a national classification system;

     (d) A phased-in implementation of a comprehensive data system with school-level financial, student, teacher, and community variables consistent with recommendations of the joint legislative audit and review committee; and

     (e) The staffing and related impacts on schools and school districts from the collection of the recommended data elements and consideration of ways to reduce duplicate reporting of data.

     (4) By November 1, 2008, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide a final report on the results of the feasibility study, including the results from the field tests, to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the legislature.

     (5) To assist in conducting the feasibility study and field tests and in carrying out the responsibilities assigned under RCW 28A.300.505, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall convene a work group comprised of representatives of the following agencies and organizations: The education data center established under RCW 43.41.400, the Washington state institute for public policy, the professional educator standards board, the state board of education, the joint legislative audit and review committee, the center for analysis of longitudinal data in education research, other research organizations as appropriate, school districts of varying sizes and geographic locations, educational service districts, the Washington school information processing cooperative, at least one additional school information system vendor, the association of Washington school principals, the Washington association of school administrators, the Washington education association, the Washington association of school business officials, the Washington association of colleges for teacher education, and the Washington state school directors' association." [2007 c 401 § 6.]

     Findings -- 2007 c 401: "The legislature finds that:

     (1) Reliable data on student progress, characteristics of students and schools, and teacher qualifications and mobility is critical for accountability to the state and to the public;

     (2) Educational data should be made available as widely as possible while appropriately protecting the privacy of individuals as provided by law;

     (3) Having a single, comprehensive, and technically compatible student and school-level data system will streamline data collection for school districts, reduce inefficiencies caused by the lack of connectivity, and minimize or eliminate multiple data entry; and

     (4) Schools and districts should be supported in their management of educational data and should have access to user-friendly programs and reports that can be readily used by classroom teachers and building principals to improve instruction." [2007 c 401 § 1.]