This refers to any data gathered about students attending public schools in a particular district or jurisdiction by school administrators or even states.
Student-level data includes personal information, enrollment information, academic information, along with various other types of data gathered and utilized by educators and educational institutions.
Personal information: These include a student’s age, race, gender, place of residence, etc.
Enrollment information: These include the school attended by a student, the student’s years of attendance and current grade level, the number of days they were absent, etc.
Academic information: These include the courses completed by a student, the grades and test scores earned by them, academic requirements fulfilled by the student, etc.
Other forms of data: These include information related to medical and health issues, learning disabilities, disciplinary problems, etc.
Student-level data serves a wide range of purposes.
· Preserving more comprehensive, precise, and robust student records for students, parents, educators, collegiate institutions, employers, and other entities that may request or need the information.
· Improving or updating the instructional process by providing teachers, other educators, and specialists with information about educational achievements, academic progress, and different learning needs of specific students.
· Improving or informing various student-support systems or strategies that may involve any number of academic, social, or health services that students may access or need.
· Enhancing the reliability and accuracy of aggregate educational data – like enrollment, dropout, or graduation rates reported for states, districts, and schools – that generates from individual data gathered on a significant number of students.
· Tracking trends in the educational systems or educational performance of individual students over time utilizing information such as standardized-test scores or school-completion data.
· Recognizing weaknesses or problems in the educational performance of districts, schools, teachers, or students to improve educational results, teaching effectiveness, or academic achievement.
Teachers can gather student-level data using different methods. The more traditional ways involve the use of formal assessments like final projects, tests, or essays to collect information. Assessments exhibit individual progress and display trends in the classroom as a whole. Teachers also use observation as another method for collecting data. By observing a class, they can understand how well students, both collectively and individually, comprehend and interact with content. Based on their observations, teachers can decide whether or not they need to assess and modify any components. Teachers also collect data from their regular interactions with students. They can use these data to analyze and improve their curricula.
