Changes to Federal Data Collection Will Impact Student Ethnicity Reporting
Article Date: August 26, 2009
New federal guidelines are in place that will affect the ethnic identification of all GISD learners throughout their entire school careers.
Beginning this school year, the U.S. Dept. of Education (USDE) is altering the process that requires educational institutions to gather information on ethnicity and race for all students and staff. This data is used for state and federal accountability.
The new format identifies individuals by two categories – ethnicity and race. A selection must be made in both categories. If a category is left unmarked or the form is not completed, the USDE requires Garland ISD to identify the student’s ethnic and racial makeup and submit the document on their behalf.
More importantly, regulations do not allow the documents to be changed or modified once submitted. Therefore, extreme care must be taken when making selections.
An information packet regarding this data collection will be sent home with all enrolled students during the first week of school. For more information contact GISD Student Services at (972) 494-8253.