In a Request for Information released June 9, the California Department of Technology (CDT), acting on behalf of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, seeks information from “state agencies, postsecondary institutions, and technology respondents with experience in developing and managing master data management (MDM) systems,” on a Cradle-to-Career: Master Data Management System. The system was effectively created by the Cradle-to-Career Data System Act last year and reportedly seeded with $10 million. The act sought creation of a “state longitudinal data system to link existing education, social services, and workforce information,” according to the RFI, and delivered a vision for wielding this data “to work to improve education, social, and employment outcomes” for residents including identifying any “disparities in opportunities.” By linking data already collected by schools, colleges, social service agencies, financial aid providers, and employers, it’s hoped the system will help teachers, parents, students and advisers find opportunities and make decisions; enable the type of support that helps more students graduate college and find jobs; and help agencies plan and improve education, workforce and health and human services programs. Among the takeaways:
• Officials recognize that the system will have to be built in phases, but priorities identified by work with state agencies, advocates, researches and others include "a centralized state data set with information on early care and K-12 students; public, private and independent college students; financial aid; employment and earnings." Other priorities include the ability to connect to other state data sets; guaranteed privacy and security that meet state and federal laws; mechanisms for improving “the quality and reliability of education information” at agencies supplying the data and at the educational institutions that create it; facilitating analyses through dashboards and query tools; and providing information to students, families and others through “electronic transcript and service eligibility tools” that are managed separately.
• The California Department of Education (CDE) has also begun planning and designing an Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS), “in addition to the Cradle-to-Career data system,” CDT said in the RFI. The ECIDS will integrate data horizontally across early learning and care programs and systems, and vertically for children up to age 5 who are enrolled in early learning and care programs.
To facilitate tracking and analysis of the progress of children up to age 5, ECIDS “will be designed to connect with the state longitudinal data system in partnership with the Cradle-to-Career Data System and Master Plan.” Ideally, CDT said, CDE will work with the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS) to stand up ECIDS by completing and integrating data systems. These will include replacing the Child Development Management Information System (CDMIS), including CPARIS; upgrading with an up-to-date management information system; upgrading the Early Education Workforce Registry; creating a Centralized Consumer Education Database and online portal; and creating a Unique Provider ID system for early learning and care providers.
• The Cradle-to-Career Data System will encompass several use cases. These include a centralized P20W data set use case involving “centralized pre-kindergarten through workforce” information, to provide data for public dashboards and query tools; data request process use cases, aimed at expanding the state’s “research and tool development capacity by creating a secure research environment”; and operational tool use cases, around tools capable of transmitting electronic transcripts, highlighting student eligibility for support and enabling student planning. The system will also include ECIDS use cases, but ECIDS is still being designed and these have not yet been developed.
It will also include a master data management solution, according to the RFI, which pointed out that the state will be developing an RFP for a cloud-based solution that includes support. This should include “SaaS FedRAMP Security Authorization and associated IaaS and PaaS FedRAMP Security Authorization at Moderate level or higher”; the ability to securely control data so that it is “processed, stored, and accessible” only from within the U.S.; the ability to support single sign-on and multifactor authentication; and the ability to create a master or “golden record.”
• As might be expected, given its scope, responses to this RFI aren’t due immediately. Questions are due June 23 and responses will come July 1. Then, RFI responses are due by 5 p.m. July 14.
