Data is one of the most powerful tools to inform, engage, and create opportunities for individuals along their education and workforce journeys—and it's much more than test scores.

Comprehensive data that goes beyond test scores can be used to support individuals through their education and workforce journeys by targeting resources to the individuals that need them the most. When individuals, families, educators, communities, and policymakers have access to meaningful and useful data for their roles, they are able to make informed decisions that support learners from early education into the workforce.

Because everyone has a unique set of questions to answer, and data is not a one-size-fits-all solution, The data that each person needs varies by their role.

• For students and those who support them, that can look like access to their assignment grades or information on higher education and career pathways, while teachers or parents may want information on attendance and course participation.
• For job seekers, that can look like access to information about available training programs, wage data, employer data, and open roles in their area to better understand how to expand their skillsets and potential outcomes.
• For researchers, that can look like access to data about the outcomes of policies and programs for them to inform policymakers and communities where to allocate resources and answer questions about what works.

What are the different types of education data?

Academic information includes any information outside of test scores that helps provide a full picture of student success and opportunity, such as growth, course information, enrollment, grades, completion, and graduation rates.

Testing and assessment data includes student performance on any tests or exams. This data can include information on student performance over time and come from annual exams, interim assessments, tests, and quizzes.

Educator data provides information on the characteristics of educators including experience, certifications, and demographics.

Demographic data provides information on characteristics and experiences of students, including age, race/ethnicity, gender, family economic status, English learner status, and disability status.

Actions include information on actions taken by both students and families, such as attendance data, program participation rates, and participation in extracurricular activities.

Climate and culture data helps paint a picture of the current climate and culture within a district or at a particular school, including discipline data and the results of student and educator climate and culture surveys.

Fiscal data shows how schools and districts are being funded, what is being funded, and how that funding is distributed across schools. This data includes information on per-pupil expenditures, and federal and state funding.

Postsecondary and workforce data provides information on the P–20W continuum and how well students are prepared for life transitions into postsecondary education and the workforce, including postsecondary completion rates, tuition and student loan information, and workforce outcomes data.

Individual-specific data is data that shows how individuals are performing, including teacher observations and learning app usage.