Starting next month, states will be required to submit their performance reports and other reports to the Department of Education electronically.
Under a final regulation published in the Federal Register on Jan. 25, states must file reports in formats requested by the department and could be fined if they fail to file the reports according to the department’s specifications.
If states are unable to comply with the new rules, the department may postpone the requirement on a case-by-case basis, the regulations state. The rules take effect Feb. 26.
The department says that for the past two years, states have been voluntarily submitting data through the Education Data Exchange Network. The network has been the department’s repository for more than 140 common data elements on student achievement, school characteristics, demographics, and program financial information.
The department is renaming the network EDFacts.
