Changes to EDFacts

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) published a notice in the Federal Register on Thursday, August 9 regarding proposed changes to the information collected through EDFacts. EDFacts is ED’s centralized data collection system (formerly known as EDEN) designed to reduce reporting burdens, improve data reliability, and increase the usefulness of the data collected by allowing ED to better evaluate the results of the programs it administers.

ED proposes to change the data it will collect in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10. ED eliminates some categories that were collected in 2006-07, adds new categories and changes the definitions of others. The proposed revisions are available at: http://edicsweb.ed.gov/browse/downldatt.cfm?pkg_serial_num=3334 in attachments B (listing all of the data ED intends to collect) and C (explaining the differences from prior years).
This notice is noteworthy because it is one of the first tests of ED’s new regulatory authority to sanction states that do not submit data in the format (and timeframe) ED requires. Once ED’s proposed changes are approved, states that fail to submit the required information through EDFacts are subject to penalties, including the withholding of funds. While ED pledges to take a practical approach to data collection, it stated that “there will be no ‘free pass’ given to the states on any obtainable education data required to manage federal programs and meet the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act.”
Data continues to be one of ED’s key priorities. As noted by ED, “the Secretary has determined that complete, accurate, and reliable data are essential for effective decision-making and for implementing the requirements of the Nation’s education laws.” Not only is ED committed to collecting information about federal programs, it is also committed to using such information to evaluate program performance. ED plans to use the information collected through EDFacts to make program management decisions. In the future, ED may share the information it collects with members of Congress and other stakeholders.
Author: SLK