SLEDS MN

About Minnesota SLEDS

Minnesota has developed the Minnesota Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System (SLEDS) matching student data from pre-kindergarten through completion of postsecondary education and into the workforce. By bridging existing data with other incoming data a range of education programmatic and delivery questions can be answered to gauge the effectiveness of current programs and design targeted improvement strategies to help students.

SLEDS brings together data from education and workforce to:

Identify the most viable pathways for individuals in achieving successful outcomes in education and work;
Inform decisions to support and improve education and workforce policy and practice, and
Assist in creating a more seamless education and workforce system for all Minnesotans.

The Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership governs the SLEDS system. The project is managed jointly by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) (opens new window), Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) (opens new window), and Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) (opens new window)

Contact Us

If you have comments, questions, or suggestions, do not hesitate to send us a message at sleds.support@state.mn.us.

Meredith Fergus

Manager of Financial Aid Research | SLEDS Coordinator

Minnesota Office of Higher Education

1450 Energy Park Drive - Suite 350

St. Paul, MN 55108

651-259-3963

meredith.fergus@state.mn.us

Rachel Vilsack

Agency Performance Manager | SLEDS Coordinator

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

332 Minnesota Street - Suite E200

St. Paul, MN 55101

651-259-7403

rachel.vilsack@state.mn.us

Kara Arzamendia

Data Analytics Supervisor | SLEDS Coordinator

Minnesota Department of Education

1500 Highway 36 West

Roseville, MN 55113

651-582-8599

kara.arzamendia@state.mn.us

About ECLDS

Minnesota's Early Childhood Education Data System

Minnesota's Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System (ECLDS) web tool combines data collected by the Department of Education, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health into one online, interactive database. The system shows population results on children's growth and achievement in relation to their participation in a variety of educational and social programs over time.

ECLDS Contact

Anita M. Larson

Data Policy Manager | ECLDS Coordinator

Early Learning Services
Minnesota Department of Education
1500 W Hwy 36
Roseville, MN 55113
anita.larson@state.mn.us | 651-582-8361

News

Introducing New Filters on High School Graduate Reports

Using filters allows you to look up data related to a particular school district or economic development region. Filters can also offer you richer information regarding educational outcomes, either by shining light on inequities or helping you identify possible predictors and pathways to success.

We have added two filters on most high school graduate reports that you should find quite interesting: Rigorous Course Taking and Career Technical Education, or CTE. Rigorous Course taking will allow you to view data on students who did one or more of the following:

Took an AP Exam as reported by the College Board,
Took a IB Exam as reported by IB,
Enrolled in an AP Course per MN Common Course Catalog,
Enrolled in an IB Course per MN Common Course Catalog,
Participated in Postsecondary Enrollment Options in K12 Enrollment, or
Participated in Concurrent Enrollment in K12 Enrollment.

The Career Technical Education filter will bring up data on students who successfully completed 100 course hours or more within one Career Field in an approved CTE program. For your convenience, definitions for the available filters can be accessed by clicking on the link at the bottom of the filter pane.

We hope these new filters improve your data experience. Let us know what you think.

New Reports: Entering the Workforce & Top 25 High Schools

Do you ever wonder what high school graduates do once graduation is over, if they don’t go to college in the fall? According to our latest high school graduates report, approximately 23% of Minnesota’s 2015 high school graduates entered the workforce. In the 12 months following senior year, the majority (58%) were working less than 20 hours per week on average, earning $11.06 per hour.

The new SLEDS mobile report “Entering the Workforce” offers you a look at the proportion of high school graduates who are working, the number of hours worked, average wages and the industries in which they work. Using the filter tool, results for graduates from 2009-2015 can be shown by school district or economic development region, race, gender or special characteristic.

Try it yourself: http://sleds.mn.gov/#HSGraduatesToEmployment/

Also, in relation to understanding how high school graduates decide to follow their educational pathways, in Spring we are releasing a new report that allows SLEDS users to view the top 25 high schools of origin for new students enrolled in a selected college. As always, you can add several views for a comparison analysis and add demographic filters for a deeper exploration.

Look for the Top 25 High Schools report under College Students / New Student Enrollment.

Governance

The Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership governs the SLEDS system. On April 14, 2010, the Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership adopted the following governance structure for the SLEDS system:

The SLEDS Governance Committee will oversee all work with the data system.
The SLEDS Research and Data Advisory Committee will review and develop research and evaluation proposals, provide technical expertise on data structure and linkages, and make recommendations to the Governance Committee.
The SLEDS Coordinators and SLEDS IT staff will coordinate work of the committees and report to the Governance Committee on the research, evaluation and technical operations of SLEDS.

Access full data governance information (opens new window)

The first of its kind, an annual report, is an attempt to engage stakeholders in looking back at the growth SLEDS has experienced and looking forward to the development set in place for SLEDS. Read the full report.

This report describes the mission, achievements, purpose, and future of SLEDS. In reflecting on the efforts that brought SLEDS to its current status, we can look forward to the work in the years to come that will build a sustainable data system. As Minnesota faces new and unknown challenges in education and the workforce, we need diverse stakeholder groups to engage with the tools available to identify potential for system improvement and more strategic public investments. SLEDS is only the instrument to answer critical social questions.

Data Access and Use

For information about interpreting and using the data in SLEDS reports and on the SLEDS website, please see the Data Interpretation Guide.

The following information is required for access to SLEDS data:

Instructions to access to SLEDS Secured Reports

To search variables within SLEDS data, please use the data dictionary.

Data Dictionary (opens new window)

SLEDS Research

Minnesota Data

National Resources

Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grant Program

U.S. Department of Education SLDS Featured Resources

Workforce Data Quality Initiative

Data Quality Campaign

Data Source Matrix of Available Years of Data

Safeguarding Data in SLEDS

SLEDS links together data from K-12 schools, colleges and work in order to understand the transitions people make between the K-12 education, college and work. This information is used to evaluate Minnesota’s many education and training programs to better understand the characteristic of successful transitions between systems and programs. Because this data is about the many Minnesotans who learn and work here, SLEDS is committed to protecting individual privacy and security of information collected.

What is data?

Data are pieces of information collected about the systems and services individuals access and their related outcomes. SLEDS data allows us to measure the performance of publicly supported systems and services that are provided to students and workers in Minnesota. This data is analyzed to measure efficiency of systems and efficacy of services. The limited data included in SLEDS are authorized by federal and state law.

How does SLEDS share data?

Data may only be shared for purposes authorized in federal and state law and requires the requester apply for access using the process approved by the SLEDS Governance Committee.

While personal information is used to link records outside of SLEDS, personal information is removed before the data are placed into SLEDS—de-identifying the data within the SLEDS system. In other words, your data is secured in our SLEDS system.

Purposes SLEDS shares data	Reasons SLEDS shares data
For linking records between state agency data systems	To maintain and operate SLEDS
For research to be conducted by state agencies	To evaluate the state’s education and training programs, to better understand pathways between education and workforce systems
For research to be conducted by schools and colleges	To improve programs and instruction
For research to be conducted by approved researchers	To evaluate the state’s education and training programs, to better understand pathways between education and workforce systems, to improve programs and instruction at Minnesota schools and colleges on behalf of a state agency, school or college

How do federal and state laws govern how data is protected and shared?

Education, employment and training data is governed by state law (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13). In addition, education data are also governed by federal law, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and its regulations in 34 CFR Part 99.

Minnesota’s Data Practices Act

The Data Practices Act (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13), makes all government data public unless state or federal law specifically limits access to it. Education and employer data are private under Chapter 13. This law also describes government’s duty to respond to data requests made by a member of the public or by the subject of the data.

The Act seeks to balance three principles:

Government's need to have data to do its work
The need to maintain an accountable and transparent government
The need to protect individual privacy rights

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The federal law on student privacy, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), establishes student privacy rights by restricting with whom and under what circumstances states and educational organizations may share students’ personally identifiable information.

Additional Resources

Following are some federal and state resources for you to learn more:

Resources

Feel free to use the resources below when you share SLEDS with your community. If you have heard a SLEDS presentation and would like a handout not posted below, please contact SLEDS Support, we are excited to share!

Videos

Learn more about SLEDS with these fun videos! We are currently creating more informational videos, check back to this section often.

Minnesota SLEDS: This video describes the data used and the potential questions that could be answered using SLEDS data.
SLEDS K-12 Data Marts: This video describes the data SLEDS collects from secondary institutions and how teachers and administrators use SLEDS.
SLEDS Data Process: This video describes how SLEDS collects data, how data is stored within SLEDS, and the deidentification process. Special guest star, David Reeg, from MN.IT.

Produced by Cutaway Productions.

Feedback

Please provide SLEDS with your feedback, take our survey.

The SLEDS team strives to build the best user tools possible for your data use experience. We value your perspective about our training and engagement with the data system. We will use your responses to inform how we design future data user engagement and training. Your responses are anonymous.

Network

Our SLEDS Network is available to answer your questions or deliver a live or virtual presentation. Just select your region below to connect with a local expert on how to find, use, and interpret SLEDS data.

Filter Definitions

High School Graduates Filters

Race / Ethnicity: The Federal defined racial/ethnic background as reported by the K12 Enrollment person.

American Indian/Alaskan Native: It refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition.
Asian or Pacific Islander: It refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands or the Indian subcontinent.
Hispanic: It refers to a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.
Black, Not of Hispanic Origin: It refers to a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
White, Not of Hispanic Origin: It refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East.

Other Criteria:

English Learner: It refers to students who have been assessed as needing additional English language instruction.
Special Education: It refers to students who have been assigned an Individual Education Plan (IEP), Individual Family Services Plan (IFSP), or Individual Interagency Intervention Plan (IIIP).
Free/ Reduced Priced Lunch: It refers to students who are eligible for free or reduced priced meal.
Rigorous Course Taking: It refers to students who did one or more of the following:

Took an AP Exam as reported by the College Board,
Took a IB Exam as reported by IB,
Enrolled in an AP Course per MN Common Course Catalog,
Enrolled in an IB Course per MN Common Course Catalog,
Participated in Postsecondary Enrollment Options in K12 Enrollment, or
Participated in Concurrent Enrollment in K12 Enrollment.

Career Technical Education: It refers to any student who successfully completed 100 course hours or more within one Career Field in an approved CTE program.

College Students Filters

Race / Ethnicity: The racial/ethnic background as reported by the PS Enrollment person.
Age Group: Age at the time of enrollment.
Other Criteria:

MN Resident: It refers to the student’s permanent residence or legal residence at the time of enrollment.

Data in Use

Pathways: The movement of individual students between K-12, higher education, and workforce

Getting Prepared – A report on recent high school graduates and developmental course taking trends in college. (Updated annually)
How well does a college education pay? – An analysis of the economic success of post-secondary graduates in Minnesota. (Published April 2014)

Progress: The benchmarks or transition points students meet or fail to meet

Where are the Jobs for Recent College Graduates? – An analysis of college graduate employment and wage outcomes by industry and region in Minnesota. (Published July 2015)
Minnesota Report Card: College-Going – A snapshot of college-going activity for high school graduates. (Updated annually)

Predictors: The characteristics or patterns that help explain which students succeed and which do not

Follow the Yellow Brick Roads – An analysis of which paths of school and work lead students to success after graduation. (Published January 2015)
The Mobility of New Nursing Grads – An analysis of the effects of place and industry on workforce outcomes for nursing students. (Published January 2014)

Performance: The alignment of education and workforce for individual success

Minnesota Measures – A report on higher education performance in Minnesota. (Updated annually)
Educational Needs of the Workforce – An analysis of the educational requirements for jobs in Minnesota (Published December 2016)
What to Know Before You Owe – A look at the cost of college. (Published September 2016)
Racial Disparities in Wage and Employment after Graduation - An analysis on the differences in college graduate outcomes by race, gender, and age. (Published December 2015)

Minnesota SLEDS