The document discusses Illinois' Longitudinal Data System (ILDS) and its goals of improving interagency data use and decision making. It focuses on the Illinois Pathways initiative and its Workforce Data Quality Initiative (WDQI) which aims to understand education and employment outcomes for students in healthcare career pathways. WDQI will analyze three cohorts of students, tracking their progress from high school through postsecondary education and into the workforce. Key metrics include pathway participation, degree/credential completion, employment, and earnings. Analysis results can inform regional career pathway development in Illinois.

1. Prepared for the 2015 SLDSConference,Washington D.C., March 2015
Andrea Messing-Mathie, PhD
Deputy Director , Education Systems Center

2. LDS
Illinois
Pathways
WDQI

3. Illinois LDS
Builds from decades of work
within agencies to collect and
manage data to improve policies
and programs
ILDS seeks to improve long-
standing interagency processes
to use data to inform better
decision making –not to replace
these efforts.
ILDS has identified five key
priority areas for end-user reports
and interagency analysis

4. Mission:To empower and support all Illinois learners to
explore, progress through, and transition from high quality,
structured career pathway systems into rewarding careers in
critical growth areas for Illinois’ future competitiveness.
Vision: A statewide, public-private education and
development initiative designed to meet two twin goals:
1) Provide students with skills and experience that will prepare
them for success in college and careers
2) Spur community economic development by fostering a
homegrown talent pipeline in critical industries

5. Illinois
Pathways
 Key strategies:
 Support local career pathway systems
development that empower students to
explore their academic and career
interests in STEM fields
 Support STEM Learning Exchanges as
they work within their industry sectors
to engage with businesses,
communities, and schools

6. Illinois
Pathways
Builds off of the
National Career
Cluster
Framework and
supports career
pathway systems
in eight STEM
application
areas:

7.  WDQI performs an important function for both ILDS
and Illinois Pathways
 Supports cooperation across agencies to develop and
analyze information key to understanding Career Pathway
outcomes, starting with the Healthcare field
 The Pipeline PerformanceAnalysis provides the framework
to understand key outcomes for students across all industry
sectors
 The education and employment outcomes from this analysis
can inform decision-making at the state and regional level

8. Given the state’s focus on sector based approaches to pipeline
issues, the Illinois WDQI project seeks to understand the
following:
1. How many students in the State of Illinois are health science pathway
participants?
2. What are the demographic characteristics of students that are pathways
participants and completers?
3. What are the education outcomes for students who are considered
pathway participants in high school?
4. What are the education and employment outcomes for students who
are considered pathway participants in community college?
5. What are the education and employment outcomes for students who
are considered pathway participants at public universities?

9. Data system is designed as a platform for
understanding what happens to
cohorts of high school, community
college, and 4-year University
graduates once they leave school,
transition into post-secondary
education and/or progress through the
workforce
Education
Data
Workforce
Records
Link Aggregate Report

10.  Focused on three specific milestones for healthcare
sector analysis:
 Graduate from high school ready for college and careers in
health science
 Completion of a high-quality or post-secondary credential
prepared for transition into a health science field
 Entry and retention into health science careers at a living
wage
 Research will have a state-wide and regional focus
 Research will utilize a cohort approach

11.  Illinois is pursuing a regional strategy for Illinois
Pathways implementation through the Illinois 60
by 2025 Network
 Target communities:
 Chicago
 Decatur
 East St. Louis
 Northwest Suburbs
 Peoria
 Rockford

12. Analysis is separated into three cohorts:
Cohort One
09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14
Junior Year of
HS
Senior Year of
HS
1st Year of Post-
Secondary or
Employment
2nd Year of Post-
Secondary or
Employment
3rd Year of Post-
Secondary or
Employment
Cohort Two
09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14
1st year of
Community
College
2nd year of
Community
College ,transfer,
or employment
3rd year of
Community
College, transfer,
or employment
4th year of
Community
College, transfer,
or employment
5th year of Community
College, transfer, or
employment
Cohort Three
07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14
1st year of
University
2nd year of
University
3rdyear of
University
or
employment
4th year of
University
or
employment
5th year of
University
or
employment
Transition to
additional
education or
employment
Transition to
additional
education or
employment
Analysis is
separated
into three
cohorts

13.  High School:
 Secondary Pathway Participation
 Degree Completion
 Academic Readiness
 IndustryCertification
 Transition to Post-Secondary
 Post-Secondary:
 Post-Secondary Pathway Participation
 Industry Readiness
 Transition to Further Post-Secondary
 Degree Completion
Cohort One
09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14
Junior Year of HS Senior Year of HS 1st Year of Post-
Secondary or
Employment
2nd Year of Post-
Secondary or
Employment
3rd Year of Post-
Secondary or
Employment

14.  Post-Secondary
 Secondary Pathway Concentration
 Industry Readiness
 Transition to Further Post-Secondary
 Degree Completion
 Career:
 Employment
 Earnings
Cohort Two
09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14
1st year of
Community
College
2nd year of
Community
College ,transfer,
or employment
3rd year of
Community
College, transfer,
or employment
4th year of
Community
College, transfer,
or employment
5th year of Community
College, transfer, or
employment

15.  Post-Secondary
 Secondary Pathway Concentration
 Industry Readiness
 Transition to Further Post-Secondary
 Degree Completion
 Career:
 Employment
 Earnings
Cohort Three
07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14
1st year of
University
2nd year of
University
3rd year of
University or
employment
4th year of
University or
employment
5th year of
University or
employment
Transition to
additional
education or
employment
Transition to
additional
education or
employment

16.  Gender
 Race/Ethnicity
 Age
 Income
 Student Status
 WIA recipient *
 MAP recipient**
* Subject to appropriate data sharing agreement with DCEO
** Subject to appropriate data sharing agreement with ISAC

17. Recommendations for IllinoisWDQI consumer information product

18.  Simple and compelling
 LDS vision
 A focus on key indicators
 A capacity to disaggregate
 Build on existing work in Illinois