Approximately 75 districts statewide participated during the 2009-2010 school year in the "Expanded SIMS" data collection pilot program. Starting this fall (2010), all districts will be required to collect additional data in a similar manner. But what data is being collected and how will this information be used?
The "Expanded SIMS" title is a bit of a misnomer, since the actual 52 SIMS fields that are currently collected three times per year (October, March, and June) have really not changed.
What is new, however, is the frequency of EPIMS data collection (now three times per year, like SIMS) as well as the new Student Course Schedule (SCS) data collection (also collected three times per year).
The SCS contains 13 new data elements connecting teachers, students, and courses K-12. Many Student Information System vendors have been working to implement processes to facilitate this data collection process, although it will be a significant project for district data managers (especially the first time!). The good news is that SCS information will allow for MCAS reports for 2011-2012 to include course- and teacher-specific reports which are currently not available.
For additional information, please visit the SIMS Expansion page on the ESE Web site. Additional information is being communicated this summer to districts by the Data Collection folks from the ESE.
