[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-583961-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-583961-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","january-2024-federal-leaders-can-clear-the-way-for-state-access-to-federal-student-aid-data","JANUARY 2024 - Federal Leaders Can Clear the Way for State Access to Federal Student Aid Data","","JANUARY 2024 outlines how federal leaders can enable states to access Federal Student Aid (FSA) data securely and in role-based ways. It explains why policymakers and families need better evidence linking financial aid and debt to college enrollment and completion. The text highlights that unclear guidance across FERPA, the HEA, and the Privacy Act has discouraged states and institutions from integrating FSA data into their statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs). It then calls for updated guidance so institutions can share FSA data with SLDSs for research, evaluation, and program improvement, illustrated by Ohio’s approach.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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penalties.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What guidance change does the document recommend from federal leaders?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"It recommends updating privacy and financial aid guidance so institutions of higher education can share FSA data with an SLDS for research, evaluation, and program improvement—such as including SLDSs within the definition of “educational authority.”","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},583961,1792887242,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,100,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & 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WAY FOR  \nState Access to Federal Student Aid Data  \nPeople need access to data to navigate their post-highschool experiences, including postsecondary education. Policymakers need to better understand how financial aid and debt relate to college enrollment and completion. And students and their families need to make informed decisions about their postsecondary options—requiring data not only about degree and program options and quality but also about how much financial aid they may have access to for financing their education.  \nStates are best positioned to provide, contextualize, embed into tools, and interpret federal student aid (FSA) data for many different audiences. Federal leaders currently govern access to this data and have an opportunity to make changes that ensure that states can provide secure, role-based access to this data to individuals, the public, and policymakers. Allowing states to access FSA data and connect it to their state  \ndata systems will enable state leaders to improve their understanding of student success in postsecondary pathways; develop more effective counseling tools that high schools and college access counselors can use to support students in making informed choices about postsecondary pathway options; and develop strategies, policies, and investments that support equitable access to postsecondary pathways.  \nFSA by the Numbers  \nFISCAL YEAR 2022  \n16.9 million+  \nFree Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms processed by the US Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Federal Student Aid  \n9.8 million+  \npostsecondary students and their families receiving over  \n$111 billion  \nin federal student aid  \nSource: US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, Federal Student Aid: Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report, Washington, DC, 2022.  \nBy providing clear guidance on how institutions of higher education can share FSA data with their statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) for research, evaluation, and program improvement purposes, federal leaders can ensure that states are connecting this information and providing individuals, the public, and policymakers with access to FSA data for decisionmaking.  \nUnclear Guidance on Navigating Current Laws Has Deterred States from Including FSA Data in Their SLDSs  \nThe overlap among three federal laws—the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Higher Education Act (HEA), and the Privacy Act—creates a lack of clarity about how these laws apply to linking data to SLDSs.1 In addition, potential penalties create  \nan environment in which the vast majority of states andinstitutions won’t even attempt to link FSA data with their SLDS for research and evaluation purposes.2 Protecting student data is crucial and must be balanced with providing guidance on the full range of acceptable uses.  \n1 National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Financial Aid Data Sharing (2019), [https://www. nasfaa.org/uploads/documents/](https://www. nasfaa.org/uploads/documents/)[ ](https://www. nasfaa.org/uploads/documents/)[J](June_2019_Data_Sharing_White_Paper.pdf.)[une_2019_Data_Sharing_White_Paper.pdf](June_2019_Data_Sharing_White_Paper.pdf.)[.](June_2019_Data_Sharing_White_Paper.pdf.)  \n2 Privacy Technical Assistance Center, US Department of Education, Guidance on the Use of Financial Aid Information for Program Evaluation and Research (2017), [https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/sites/default/files/resource_document/file/FSA_final.pdf](https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/sites/default/files/resource_document/file/FSA_final.pdf).  \nCurrently, states must navigate the following conflicting information:  \n• HEA allows sharing of FSA data only “for the purpose of applying for, awarding, and administering Title IV funds, state aid, and institutional aid programs”without a student’s written consent.3  \n• FERPA’s Audit and Evaluation Exception allows an institution to share personally identifiable informat","cbCaipqws8ISSCCJ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaipqws8ISSCCJ","pdf",114583,"English","# FSA Data Access and Its Importance\n## Why access to FSA data matters for students, families, and policymakers\n# FSA by the Numbers\n## FY2022 processing and funding scale\n# Barriers from Conflicting Legal Guidance\n## Overlap among FERPA, HEA, and the Privacy Act\n# Federal Leaders’ Role in Removing Barriers\n## Updating privacy and financial aid guidance for SLDS linkage\n# Example: How Ohio Is Navigating the Challenge","[{\"question\":\"Why do federal and state leaders need to provide access to FSA data?\",\"answer\":\"Access to FSA data helps decision-makers understand how financial aid and debt relate to college enrollment and completion, and supports better counseling and policy for equitable postsecondary pathways.\"},{\"question\":\"What main issue has deterred states from linking FSA data to SLDSs?\",\"answer\":\"Unclear guidance created by overlapping federal laws (FERPA, the HEA, and the Privacy Act) makes it difficult to determine how the laws apply to linking data to SLDSs, increasing fear of penalties.\"},{\"question\":\"What guidance change does the document recommend from federal leaders?\",\"answer\":\"It recommends updating privacy and financial aid guidance so institutions of higher education can share FSA data with an SLDS for research, evaluation, and program improvement—such as including SLDSs within the definition of “educational authority.”\"}]","JANUARY 2024 - Federal Leaders Can Clear the Way for State Access to Federal Student Aid Data | PDF",1792049196]