What is the purpose of annual data reporting?
The Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) collects and uses data from multiple sources, including information from educator preparation programs, to make decisions. PESB is responsible for maintaining data on educator preparation programs related to their quality, educator certification, educator employment trends and needs, and any other information considered relevant by the Board (RCW 28A.410.210). In support of this work, educator preparation program providers submit annual data reports about the programs they offer and the candidates they serve.
Annual data reports include information about educator candidates, program outcomes, and workforce trends. These data are essential for PESB to evaluate and promote continuous improvement in educator preparation programs, and to better understand the educator workforce. PESB also uses data from preparation programs to submit required reports to the Washington State Legislature and the Federal Department of Education.
PESB cooperates with educator preparation program providers and with the Education Research and Data Center (ERDC) to complete annual data reporting and program evaluation requirements.
What data are collected?
Annual data reports include information about educator candidates and their performance in the programs they complete. For a complete listing of all data elements, see the annual data collection manual. In brief, the annual reports include the following seven data files:
- Admission file: collects information about potential candidates who apply to the program. This includes providers’ assessments of candidates’ strengths and weaknesses, and results of enrollment assessments.
- Demographic file: includes information about when candidates began their programs as well as the certifications and endorsements they sought. This file also includes information about candidates’ race, gender, language, and previous educational attainment. This information helps PESB better understand the candidates who are entering preparation programs and informs efforts to improve educator diversity in the workforce.
- Assessment file: records which knowledge and skills assessments a candidate has taken, as well as the outcome of each assessment. The assessment file also collects information about case-by-case exceptions and alternative measures of candidates’ knowledge and skills.
- Clinical practice file: includes information about the number of hours, location, and mentor for each candidate’s field-based practice in the role they are being prepared for.
- Institution file: provides clarification about the preparation programs’ term structure, start date, and end date.
- Program file: contains information about the options available to candidates who sought educator certification. Specifically, this includes the degree level of the program, the number of credits needed, and the length of time candidates usually take to complete.
- Professional Educator Advisory Board (PEAB) file: details the annual activities and recommendations of the PEAB, as well as how preparation programs have responded to the advisory board’s suggestions.
How are data reports submitted annually?
Preparation programs collect and submit annual data using templates provided by PESB. PESB and ERDC collaborate to provide a technical guidance manual each year. The educator preparation program accountability data collection and submission manual defines each of the elements needed and provides guidance about how to submit data reports. With data sharing agreements in place, programs can access a secure file transfer system that allows all data to be safely uploaded to ERDC. The data manual and the ERDC website provide additional details on this process.
How is the data manual updated?
ERDC and PESB facilitate monthly meetings for an Educator Preparation Program Data Governance Task Force to discuss data governance and make recommendations to the data manual. In January of each year, the PESB Board reviews updates to the manual and in March, they vote on its final publication. Preparation programs and other stakeholders are encouraged to submit suggested revisions for next year’s manual to eppquestions@ofm.wa.gov.
How has annual data reporting changed?
In 2017, the Legislature changed how state-approved educator preparation programs submit annual reports to maintain their approved status. This legislation had important implications for preparation program providers, including:
State-approved educator preparation programs must collect and provide data required by PESB to ERDC.
ERDC must hold, analyze, and make available educator preparation data for research and monitoring by PESB, state-approved educator preparation programs, and other researchers with appropriate data-sharing agreements.
State-approved educator preparation programs must enter data-sharing agreements with ERDC to facilitate the transfer of data required by PESB.
Why are data sharing agreements necessary?
PESB needs annual data to review approved preparation programs and assess whether and to what extent the programs are meeting knowledge, skill, and performance standards. This review cannot happen without data sharing agreements.
In order to transfer data in compliance with federal student privacy regulations, a fully executed data-sharing agreement must be in place between the program provider and ERDC. These agreements are signed by all data contributors and are used as guiding documents in data governance decisions. The initial data-sharing agreements signed by educator preparation programs in 2018 expired in September 2020 and must be renewed every two years. ERDC cannot receive preparation program data without these agreements in place. Educator programs that do not have an agreement in place will not be able to submit annual data and are considered out of compliance with SHB 1741 and PESB program standards.
