Mississippi NIBS : HB 608

02-21-11 • The PPJ Gazette

by Lynn Swearingen/PPJ Gazette For years many Americans have been concerned. How will the State know that the educational process has been effective? How will “stakeholders” and other “interested parties” such as The Mississippi Department of Human Services know that what outcomes have been produced by all of their efforts? If only there were a law allowing sharing of data among agencies – for the children of course…. Well they shall wonder no longer! In a move designed to trace Mississippians from “Birth to Billet” (my catchy little phrase) all the data needed will be routed through interagency cooperation to create the State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS). Who will be involved in this little data collection scheme? (a) The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE); (b) The State Board for Community and Junior Colleges (SBCJC) (c) The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of 45 Higher Learning (IHL); (d) The State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB); (e) The Mississippi De