9.1 Suppression
The RA is required to make sure all work is compliant with FERPA and UI regulations in accordance with Suppression Guidelines for MLDS Center Dashboards, Presentations, and Reports (Appendix 8). MLDS Center Staff will review, but not perform, the suppression analysis and needed masking for the RA.
The MLDS Center recognizes that there are several techniques used to avoid the disclosure of personally identifiable information. Moreover, there may be a unique situation in which the Guidelines fail to meet the needs of the RA and/or FERPA or UI compliance. In such a situation, where the Guidelines are inadequate, the Center may require the RA to take additional precautions through the application of additional masking techniques. The Center will work with the RA to find the best possible solution to meet both the RA’s needs and disclosure avoidance.
9.2 Release of Research Products
Research Products include written outcomes or displays resulting from the confidential data, such as, output from statistical software, tables, or graphs. Research products are intended to be viewed by individuals who are not approved to access the System.
Center Review.
- Only the Executive Director may authorize the removal of research products from the MLDS.
- The Executive Director will review the research products to ensure:
- Data tables for export report only aggregate data and small cell sizes are properly
suppressed; and
- The work is consistent with the research proposal.
To begin the review process, the researcher must send an email that includes the following information:
- Folder where research products are located;
- Name of the research products that the RA wants to have reviewed for release;
- A summary of what the research products contain (Example - These are regression results. The outcome variables are individual student test scores. The independent variables are individual student demographics.); and
- Definitions of variables that have been derived or renamed that may not be discernible to the reviewer.
- The Executive Director will only authorize release of the research products upon a determination that:
- The data are properly aggregated and small cell sizes are suppressed; and
- The research conducted is consistent with the research proposal.
- If the release of research products is not authorized because of a suppression issue, the RA will be directed to fully suppress the data and resubmit for review.
- If the release of research products are not authorized because the work is inconsistent with the research proposal:
- The RA will be directed to make necessary modifications to the research to conform it to the original research proposal; or
- If the research is substantially different than the proposal, the project will be terminated and
the RA will be denied further access to the data and research products.
9.3 Center Product Review
The research product developed for the Center must be delivered to the Executive Director for review and comment.
Center products must conform to the Center’s publication standards.
The Executive Director will consult with:
- The RPB during its next scheduled meeting; and
- Subject matter experts, as needed, in the appropriate partner agencies.
The review will be completed in less than 60 days.
Once the review and comment is complete, the final research product will delivered to the Center for its use and dissemination.
9.4 Further Developed Works
As required by the RUDA, the RA must provide the Executive Director further developed work for review 60 days prior to it being submitted for presentation or publication.
Except as provided in paragraph C of this subsection, further developed works must made available to the MLDS Center in an electronic format for posting on its website.
If a further developed work is copyrighted the RA must provide, at no cost, a single copy to the Center and partner agencies.
The RA shall provide the Center with any additional dissemination plans other than those outlined in the original proposal.
Further developed works must include the following:
This research was conducted using data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) and with the technical support of the MLDS Center staff. The conclusions of this research do not reflect the opinion of the State of Maryland, MLDS Center, the MLDS Governing Board, or its partner agencies.
9.5 Removing Access
Access to the MLDS workstations and secure environment will be rescinded on the approved project end date or an earlier date if the research concludes before the project expiration date. When access is rescinded, physical access to the workstations will expire along with login permissions. All researcher folders/workspace files will be archived for a period of five years then destroyed.
Staff Authorization will be rescinded within one year of the completion of the project and removal of system access.