EDAC Frequently Asked Questions

What is EDAC?

The Education Data Advisory Committee (EDAC) was implemented by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) as required by Colorado State Law (22-2-304 C.R.S.) to review data demands placed on Colorado public education and: 

• Review the statutory and regulatory data reporting requirements applicable to school districts and public schools and determine whether the benefits derived from the reports are outweighed by the increased administrative costs
• Identify those statutory and regulatory data reporting requirements that are duplicative or obsolete
•  Notify districts of mandatory data requirements from rule or statute
• Advise the department on the impact of data practices and technology on school districts and public schools
• FERPA

The committee consists of at least 11 members, with at least five volunteers from school districts and two volunteers from boards of cooperative services and a volunteer from a charter school, the volunteers are appointed by the State Board of Education. School district/BOCES members are representative in terms of geography, enrollment and subject expertise. 

Why was this committee created?

During the past several years there has been an increase in the use of data and, therefore, an increase in requests for data. This initially was fueled by the Colorado School Accountability Reports and the federal No Child Left Behind Act and continues currently due to accreditation, SchoolView and the federal Education Data Exchange Network (EDEN) reporting system. Demands from this increased quest for data may place unnecessary and burdensome demands on schools, districts/BOCES, and CDE. Furthermore, the State Auditors recommended a committee such as this in their June 2001 performance audit. 

When does the committee meet?

EDAC typically meets on the first Friday of every month September through June except in January if the New Year holiday prevents the committee from meeting. The committee may choose to convene more frequently to meet the demands placed on it. Meetings are generally scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

What items need to be submitted to EDAC, how often, and how do I submit?

Any data collections, surveys, and grant applications sent to schools, districts and/or BOCES, whether sent to all or just a few schools, districts, and/or BOCES, must go through EDAC before dissemination. This includes one-time, repeated (such as annual), and on-going collections. Items for the EDAC should be submitted to the Data Services Unit at least one week before the meeting. This will allow time for reviewing the submission, setting the agenda, and mailing materials to the committee. Once committee members receive the materials, responses are sought from responsible colleagues to obtain pertinent feedback. EDAC bylaws state that for any EDAC materials not received at least seven(7)days prior to the meeting, EDAC has the discretion not to review them.

Each collection is reviewed once a year. If a collection is brand new to EDAC a full review is required. In subsequent years an update approval may be acceptable if there are little to no changes from the previous year. Update approvals may be allowed up to 3 years then a full review is required. If a number of changes to a collection has been made a full review is necessary.   Links to the EDAC form can be found on the main EDAC website.