On May 15, U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the College Transparency Act of 2017, S. 1121. This new bill would establish a postsecondary student data system and provide more accurate and complete data on postsecondary student outcomes. This bill would repeal the ban on a federal “student-unit-record data system,” which is one of ACTE’s priorities for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
The new data system it envisions would be secure and privacy protected, and housed at the National Center for Education Statistics. Unlike current higher education data collection, both part-time and transfer students would be included in the data. Information shared (in the aggregate) would include information on enrollment and completion rates, debt repayment, and employment outcomes for postsecondary programs. The benefits outlined in the bill include:
- accurately evaluate student enrollment patterns, progression, completion, and post-collegiate outcomes, and higher education costs and financial aid at the student level;
- assist with transparency, institutional improvement, and analysis of Federal aid programs;
- provide more accurate, complete, and customizable information for students and families making decisions about postsecondary education; and
- reduce the reporting burden on institutions of higher education postsecondary institutions, in accordance with section 5(b) of the College Transparency Act.
Perhaps the greatest benefit to those offering CTE programs would be the reduced reporting burden, as such a national system would ease data collection and reporting requirements, particularly for outcome measures. This would be accomplished through specific agreements to link with other federal data systems to match employment and earnings information. A fact sheet on the bill is available here.
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