CHICAGO- Today, State Senator Heather Steans (D-7th Chicago) was recognized by the national Data Quality Campaign (DQC) as State Policymaker of the Year  for her efforts in passing the P-20 Longitudinal Data System (Senate Bill 1828).

"I would like to thank the Data Quality Campaign for this wonderful honor and all my colleagues who helped pass this initiative. This new data system is a vital tool to evaluate the performance of our educational system as well as teacher performance," said Steans. "It allows Illinois to locate and correct the problems in our educational system, ensuring that we are preparing students for success."

The new initiative requires the State Board of Education, the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board to implement a P-20 Longitudinal Data System. It is designed to track Illinois’ students through their preschool, elementary schools, secondary schools, college and work careers. The information provided by these programs will allow policymakers, educational groups and the public to evaluate the effectiveness of Illinois’ education system in preparing students for college and beyond.

"Because the P-20 Longitudinal Data System allows us to track our students, it is a much- needed tool to help reform our broken education system," said Steans. "In addition, the data system will help Illinois’ application for funding from the federal program, Race to the Top. This federal assistance will spur us to start retooling the way we educate Illinois students."

The P-20 Longitudinal Data System was signed into law in late July 2009.