“To establish a postsecondary student data system.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section amends sec. 132 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which authorizes the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)—the Department of Education's primary data collection program for postsecondary institutions—to redesignate subsection (l) as subsection (m) and establish a new subsection (l) requiring the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to develop and maintain a secure, privacy-protected postsecondary student-level data system not later than four years after enactment of the College Transparency Act. (As background, IPEDS currently collects aggregate institution-level data on enrollment, completion, and finances; the new system will enable longitudinal tracking of individual student enrollment patterns, progression, completion, postcollegiate outcomes, costs, and financial aid to support transparency, institutional improvement, Federal aid analysis, student decision-making, and reduced reporting burdens.) In developing the system, the Commissioner must prioritize user and reporter needs; incorporate specified U.S. Web Design Standards, Digital Services Playbook, and TechFAR guidelines (or successors); apply modern privacy- and security-enhancing technologies consistent with Federal laws (including NIST frameworks under 15 U.S.C. 272(c)), data minimization standards, and student notices; and leverage system data to satisfy duplicative reporting requirements. Not later than four years after enactment, and in consultation with a Postsecondary Student Data System Advisory Committee (established by the Commissioner not later than two years after enactment, with representatives from Department privacy and security officers, diverse higher education institutions, state agencies, students, Federal agencies, data experts, and other stakeholders, operating under the Federal Advisory Committee Act), the Commissioner must determine required and additional data elements and methods for their inclusion in the system.
This section revises paragraph (17) of section 487(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education, or their assigned agents, participating in federal student aid programs to collect and submit data to the Commissioner for Education Statistics—including data required under section 132(l), nonstudent-related surveys in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and any other federal higher education data collection efforts designated by the Secretary of Education—in a timely manner and to the Secretary's satisfaction. (As background, the program participation agreement governs institutional eligibility for Title IV programs such as Pell Grants and federal student loans.) The revision takes effect 4 years after enactment.
This section directs the Secretary of Education and the Commissioner for Education Statistics to develop and maintain the postsecondary student data system required under new section 132(l) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 in a manner that reduces the reporting burden for entities that reported data to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).