The Status of State Data Dictionaries

As the use of data for strategic decision-making in education continues to expand, states and districts have been addressing multiple issues regarding the collection, housing, use, and communication of data among various individuals and entities. State education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) have been focusing on their data systems through the development and implementation of their state longitudinal data systems (SLDS), data warehouses, data dashboards, assessment systems, and various other elements of the overall data process. As these components continue to expand and improve, the introduction of a comprehensive and well-designed data dictionary has emerged as a critical need for states.