CHICAGO, IL-State Sen. Ed Maloney’s plan to expand Illinois’ student-tracking system to include private universities became law earlier this week. The system is used to analyze the effectiveness of Illinois’ educational system.

"Bringing private universities into our tracking system will help us get a broader view of student success," Maloney said. "They are an important part of our education system, and we can’t afford to leave them out of our research."

Last year, the state legislature created a P-20 longitudinal data system. It is called "P-20" because it tracks students from preschool to college and beyond. By tracking students for such a long period of time, legislators and education officials can learn where Illinois’ education system succeeds and where it needs to be improved. This comprehensive system makes it easier to identify trends and problems that might not be detected by normal forms of assessments like standardized testing and graduation rates.

"The P-20 system is a big step forward," Maloney added. "It allows us to track the progress of both students and teachers. My goal this year was to make it even more effective."

When the P-20 system was created, it only included public universities and private universities that participate in Illinois’ flagship need-based financial aid program—MAP (Monetary Award Program) grants. Though most private schools do participate in the program, there are a number that do not. Maloney’s legislation (House Bill 6092) allows the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) to collect data from these schools. The law also directs IBHE to try to find private funding to help pay for the P-20 system. No college or university that does not participate in MAP will be required to share information with the state.

"Many of our best and brightest students attend private schools," Maloney said. "We are losing important information if we can’t trace their progress past high school graduation."