State Longitudinal Data System
NOTE: Administration of the SLDS was transferred from the former Chief Education Office to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, effective July 1, 2019.
What is the SLDS?
The SLDS is a longitudinal data system, meaning it links data about students as they move through school and the workforce. Technology enables the system to provide these linkages without revealing the identity of any students.
With the SLDS, for the first time, researchers can connect student data from K-12 to higher education to the workforce. The SLDS partners with state agencies that collect student data and acts as a central hub where the data can be linked and analyzed.
The purpose of the SLDS is to improve student learning. Longitudinal data allows policy makers to clearly identify outcomes of programs across student populations and geographic regions. This helps the state pinpoint and address areas of inequities so it can better direct resources and funding to programs that are helping students succeed.