 |
|
Across all sessions within the Longitudinal Data Systems (LDS) strand, at the July NCES Summer Data Conference in Washington, DC, were several common themes with respect to what state and district speakers found to be the necessary ingredients in developing and implementing effective and sustainable data systems. The first of the common themes was an emphasis on the ultimate function of longitudinal data systems: using longitudinal data to increase student achievement by informing education programs, curriculum, and instruction. As one presenter articulated, the data system is designed to guide conversations about how to meet educational goals and to encourage questions; building new (or enhancing existing) systems, another presenter noted, is not the answer in and of itself. After all, data must be understandable, accessible, usable, and used. Presenters from different states and districts seem to converge on a handful of LDS functions they deemed necessary to create a link between data and improved student learning:
Most of the presenters also converged on a number of best practices involved in developing, implementing, and maintaining longitudinal data systems:
| Session I | The Effective Use of Data to Improve Instruction |
John Brainard, Pueblo School District No. 60, CO |
|
|
The power in longitudinal data systems lies in their ability to inform curriculum and classroom instruction to increase student achievement. The panelists discussed their efforts in using student data to improve student achievement. The assessment program in Pueblo District 60 is designed as a comprehensive assessment system that not only assesses student achievement, but also attempts to continuously improve the instructional program, utilizing classroom, district, and state assessments. Alaska reorganized the assessment system to provide coherent and consistent information regarding individual student, group, and school achievement in a manner that is directly tied to the state-adopted standards and grade level expectations. |
|
|
Download Zipped PowerPoint Presentations: |
|
| Session II | The Effective Use of Data to Improve Instruction |
| Cory Curl and Mary Reel, Tennessee Department
of Education Molly Schaeffer, Poway Unified School District, California |
|
|
The power in longitudinal data systems lies in their ability to inform curriculum and classroom instruction to increase student achievement. The panelists discussed their efforts in using student data to improve student achievement. Poway Unified School District has put in place a customized web-enabled data system, paired with a benchmark-assessment tool, which guides the work of teachers in classrooms. Tennessee administrators and teachers use web-based data tools to inform curriculum and instructional strategies for accelerating student academic growth toward state learning standards and ACT college-readiness standards. |
|
|
Download Zipped PowerPoint Presentations: |
|
| Session III | Best Practices in IT Project Management |
| Marty Daybell, Washington Office of Superintendent
of Public Instruction Bob Bellamy, Better School Business |
|
|
Typically, state education agencies as well as local education agencies are not staffed or equipped with adequate resources (personnel, environment, and skills) to undertake a large information technology project, such as the development of a comprehensive longitudinal student data system or educational data warehouse. This workshop presents key considerations and factors for success in the design, development, management, and delivery of these systems. |
|
|
Download Zipped PowerPoint Presentation: |
|
| Session IV | Building Political Support and Will to Build and Use Longitudinal Data Systems |
| Jay Pfeiffer, Florida Department of Education Robert McGrath, Pennsylvania Department of Education |
|
|
As a data manager, you understand and believe in the power of longitudinal systems, but in most states, educational longitudinal data have received little time in the policy and political spotlight. Hear how Florida and Pennsylvania have built champions for their data systems. |
|
Download Zipped PowerPoint Presentation: |
|
| Session V | SEA Data Services to Districts |
| Timothy Webb, Tennessee Department of Education Howard Woodward, Georgia Department of Education |
|
|
Tennessee was one of many states participating in the Council of Chief State School Officer’s Decision Support Architecture Consortium (DSAC). DSAC was tasked with conducting state specific analyses of existing data systems and providing recommendations for improvement. Through this model, state education agencies could support their local education agencies in designing and developing a Decision Support Architecture to improve efficiency and data quality at the local level. Georgia provides districts with data management and business intelligence services with both student and financial data. Soon they will link with a teaching/learning and assessment system. |
|
Download Zipped PowerPoint Presentation: |
|
| Session VI | Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Student Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grantee Reports |
|
Representatives from the IES SLDS Grantee States |
|
|
The Census Bureau will replace the decennial census long form with the American Community Survey (ACS), an effort designed to provide similar social and economic data each year instead of once every ten years. The ACS will provide summarized data for school districts, and the National Center for Education Statistics plans to produce additional ACS school district custom tabulations. These sources will provide a wealth of geographic and demographic data for school planners and administrators, and they offer great opportunity for educational spatial analysis. This presentation briefly discussed when ACS school district data will be available, what demographic characteristics will be provided, what will be included in the custom tabulations, and how these data will be useful for educational planning and decisionmaking. |
|
| Session VII | The Effective Use of Data to Improve Instruction |
| Todd Hughes, Durant Public Schools, Oklahoma Joe Kitchens, Western Heights Public Schools, Oklahoma |
|
|
The power in longitudinal data systems lies in their ability to inform curriculum and classroom instruction to increase student achievement. The presenters discussed their efforts in using student data to improve student achievement. The efforts in both Western Heights and Durant provide teachers, parents, administrators and other stakeholders with real time access to valued multi-source trend data that validates the efficacy of school improvement efforts. |
|
| Session VIII | Linking K–12 and Postsecondary Data |
|
Jeff Sellers and Lavan Dukes, Florida Department of Education |
|
|
This workshop illustrated the process Florida and Louisiana went through to design their PK–20 data linkages, and the process for collecting data and how to establish links between the different data sources of PK–12 and postsecondary. Additionally, examples of some practical uses of this process were presented, demonstrating how a longitudinal database can be used to empower decisionmakers. |
|
|
Download Zipped PowerPoint Presentations: |
|
| Session IX | Using State Databases to Identify School and District Improvement |
|
Joseph McCrary, U.S. Department of Education |
|
|
This panel discussion demonstrated various examples of how assessment data can be used to identify areas of strength and weakness in student achievement and education program areas. These examples include how assessment data can be analyzed to find improving schools and districts as well as to measure program effectiveness. One such study, being conducted by the Center for Innovation and Improvement, relies on state assessment data to identify improving school districts. Follow-ups with surveys to identify district practices that contributed to these achievement gains will be conducted. The data used are collected by the American Institute for Research for the U.S. Department of Education. Other examples of data that can be used for identifying improving schools and districts include statewide longitudinal data systems being developed in collaboration with the Institute of Education Sciences and the National Center for Education Statistics. Emphasis was placed on the need for quality data for decisionmaking and the importance of involving stakeholders in the development of data systems. |
|
|
Download Zipped PowerPoint Presentations: |
|
| Sessions X & XI | Data Quality Roundtables |
|
Data Quality Campaign Representatives |
|
|
Participants gleaned the best thinking and practices from their colleagues from states and districts around the issues most on their mind. This participant-directed, interactive session of simultaneous roundtable discussions touched on the topics that have been emerging in the efforts of the Data Quality Campaign (DQC). The DQC is a national, collaborative effort to encourage and support state policymakers to improve the collection, availability, and use of high-quality education data, and implement state longitudinal data systems to improve student achievement. The DQC facilitated roundtable discussions on topics such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, data warehouses, data transfers among systems, relationships with vendors, hiring effective data managers, and other topics participants were burning to discuss. |
|
(2.67 MB)