Data Collection Services

LAS Links Data Collection
LAS Links and DRC collect personally identifiable student information solely for the purpose of administering the LAS Links assessment and assisting state educational agencies and school districts with their compliance with federal law, currently the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA, establishes federally supported education programs and activities related to English language instruction, acquisition, and achievement. The law requires local educational agencies and institutions to evaluate and report progress made by English Language Learners. It also requires states’ educational agencies to develop accountability models for English Language Learners that relate to the children’s development and attainment of English proficiency while meeting challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards. LAS Links reports the information it collects back to state educational agencies and school districts so that they can demonstrate ESSA compliance.

The Information We Collect
DRC collects information necessary for a state, district, or school to administer the LAS Links assessment and meet ESSA requirements. This includes student names and basic demographic information, including gender, date of birth, race/ethnicity and native language. We collect a students’ school and district information, including state and/or district identification numbers and grade level. We also collect information about a student’s status in English Language Learner programs and, if applicable, information about a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), disabilities, and assessment accommodations.

Finally, we collect information related to a student’s assessment administration and performance. Some states, whether by state law or policy, limit or completely restrict the amount of personally identifiable student information that we may collect. In these instances, the state will anonymize the assessment administration by creating a unique student number that it links to the student. LAS Links will report assessment results and compliance information back to the state using this unique student number and the state will link the information back to the individual student.