Want your kids' grades going to the state/feds?

Margaret Spellings does:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_EDUCATION_DATA_FLOL-?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

You have to read this article very carefully, because it's very inaccurate. It implies, for example, that schools in only two states keep data on AP scores SAT and grades. That's ridiculous of course. I can assure you that in Colorado I can look up any kid for the past twenty years and get you his high school grades and ACT scores. I think what they mean is that only two *states* collect this data from schools. The clue is this portion:

"Florida is one of 14 states that received a federal grant totaling $52.8 million in 2005 to help states implements longitudinal data systems.

"Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine are still in the early stages of data collection, but no state meets the 10 essential elements for building a data system, according to the Data Quality Campaign."

So Spellings wants states to build these big databases of student grades, attendance, ACT/SAT scores, transcripts, etc. Which means all this confidential data will have to be transferred to the state somehow.

Is that what we want? I can see wanting a common definition for "dropout" (which has been a problem forever, and I don't much care what they come up with as long as it's consistent and the rich districts can't maneuver out of it.) But from my experience with transmitting human resources data and financial data to the state, once they get a taste, they want MORE MORE MORE. Where we used to transmit summary data, now we transmit individual records to the state. And that's what will happen here.

Why do I know this? Because student records are horrifically complicated. Some schools run quarter grades, some semester, some are on trimesters. Some run traditional transcripts, some run nontraditional. Some states have state-required ACT scores that differ from collegebound ACT scores. It's endless. Because of the complexity, the state will require more and more individiual data so that THEY can run summaries in the way they want. Ergo, within a few years, we will be required to transmit your student's individual records directly to the state, who will then summarize them for the feds.

So whaddya think? You want your kids' info going to the state/feds?