Contact: Sandy Connolly, Director of Communications
Office of Higher Education
St. Paul, MN -- More detailed information is now available on a state website to help parents, educators and policymakers make informed decisions about education.
The Minnesota Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System (SLEDS) mobile analytics site, launched in 2014, allows users to view data about student progress and pathways from secondary education through postsecondary education. By selecting specific graduation years, high schools and districts, users can view the information that is most meaningful to them.
A new filtering feature adds demographics to the mix; categories include Race, Gender and Special Populations, which includes Special Education, English Learners and Free and Reduced Lunch. This new feature will help lawmakers, educators and stakeholders understand where targeted educational initiatives are needed.
In May 2014, a new data tool from the Department of the Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Graduate Employment Outcomes, was added that students can use to determine employment and wage outcomes from various programs of study. In December, developmental education reports prepared by the Office of Higher Education (OHE) were added to the mobile site. These reports provide important insight into the academic readiness of Minnesota public high school graduates.
"Each of these tools bring an additional level of information and usefulness to the SLEDS website for a wide variety of users," said OHE Commissioner Larry Pogemiller. "Policymakers can use it to assess overall school and student progress, parents can whittle it down to compare specific schools and students can explore areas of study that have been demonstrated to lead to good paying jobs. All of this information can be used by educators to improve student outcomes."
"If we are serious about closing Minnesota's achievement and opportunity gaps, while ensuring every students receives an excellent education, then we must be able to gauge our progress and have the data SLEDS provides to guide our work and accelerate our efforts even faster," MDE Commissioner Brenda Cassellius said.
"The SLEDS website is an important resource that will help Minnesota students and their parents make informed decisions on a career path," said DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben. "With constant changes in the marketplace, today's students want to know which fields offer the best opportunities when they graduate."
SLEDS is a joint effort of OHE, DEED and the Departments of Education (MDE).
To access the mobile analytics site, visit sleds.mn.gov
Feedback on the mobile analytics site is welcome; please share your reaction or ideas for improvement with firstname.lastname@example.org. For more information, contact Sandy Connolly at 651-259-3902 or by email at email@example.com