1. Policy Title

General - Covers All Policies in this Section

2. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish common conditions for every other policy in this section.

3. Scope

This policy applies to:

• The Division of Student Testing and Data Collection (DSTDC)
• DSTDC staff involved in test administration, data interpretation, and analysis
• Student achievement test score data derived from the IOWA achievement test battery

This policy covers the initial data warehouse environment and does not replace Ministry-wide data governance or security policies.

4. Organizational Context

DSTDC operates within the Ministry of Education under the Bureau structure, at the Division level. The data warehouse supports DSTDC's responsibility to:

• Administer achievement tests
• Interpret test results
• Conduct further analysis of student performance data

5. Data Description

The data warehouse will contain:

• Student achievement test scores from the IOWA achievement test battery
• Student discipline and attendance data from the MOE SIS
• Student special education data from the MOE SIS
• Related metadata necessary to interpret and analyze the test results

No data beyond what is required for DSTDC’s analytical responsibilities shall be stored.

6. Data Access and Use

• Access to the data warehouse is limited to authorized DSTDC staff.
• The data shall be made available 24/7 through approved analysis tools such as Power Query or similar reporting and analytics software.
• Data may be used only for official DSTDC analytical, reporting, and research purposes.

7. Data Management Responsibilities

DSTDC shall designate responsibility for the following functions:

• Obtaining the official data extract from the IOWA test administration system
• Obtaining the official data extract from the MOE SIS
• Uploading and maintaining the data within the warehouse
• Ensuring data accuracy, completeness, and basic quality checks
• Managing user access to the data warehouse

8. Security and Confidentiality

• Student data shall be treated as confidential.
• Reasonable administrative and technical controls shall be implemented to prevent unauthorized access, loss, or misuse of the data.
• The data warehouse shall comply with applicable Ministry of Education data protection and privacy policies.

9. Availability and Reliability

• The data warehouse shall be maintained to ensure general availability for DSTDC staff.
• Planned maintenance or outages should be minimized and communicated internally when possible.

10. Change and Growth

This data warehouse represents the initial foundation for DSTDC’s analytical data environment. As needs evolve, the system may be expanded or modified in accordance with future policies, procedures, and Ministry guidance.

11. Review

This policy shall be reviewed periodically by DSTDC management and updated as necessary to reflect operational, technical, or organizational changes.

Version and Approval