Using Data for Continuous School Improvement

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Using Data for Continuous School Improvement

• Association of School Business Officials
  International Annual Meeting
• Pittsburgh, PA
• October 13, 2006

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Workshop Participants

• Irene K. Spero
• Vice PresidentConsortium for School Networking
  (CoSN)
• Director, Data-driven Decision Making Initiative
  
• Anthony Dragona,
• RSBA,School Business AdministratorUnion City
  Board of EducationUnion City, NJ

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Workshop Outline

• Learn about CoSN Data driven Decision Making
  Initiative
• Hear how school district leaders are using data
  and technology tools in the educational process
• Participate in a group exercise
• Summarize challenges faced in implementing a
  data-based decision making process
•  

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About CoSN

• CoSN Mission
• CoSN serves as the national organization for
  K-12 technology leaders who use technology
  strategically to improve teaching and learning.
• CoSN provides products and services to support
  and nurture leadership development, advocacy,
  coalition building, and awareness of emerging
  technologies.
• Audience
• Key technology leaders at the school district,
  state and national level and from the private
  sector

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Vision to Know and Do

• Launched in 2003 by CoSN to help educators use
  data effectively. This initiative is
• a highly-respected source of up-to-date,
  unbiased information
• an easy to use mechanism for educating school
  leaders
• a nationally-recognized framework for sharing
  knowledge
• Supported by Founding Partners ETS, IBM and SAS
  with additional support from Co-nect, Dell,
  Pearson Education, Plato Learning, PowerSchool ,
  SchoolNet, and Texas Instruments. Scholastic
  Administr_at_tor is the Media Partner.

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Vision to Know and Do

• CoSN tools for educators on data-driven decision
  making in the educational process.
• Website, www.3d2know.org, with high quality
  resources, presentation materials, case studies,
  and publications.
• Background papers
• Self Assessment Tool
• E-newsletter
• Best practices
• Seminars for policymakers
• Conference presentations

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Ten Reasons to Bring Data into Decisions

• Assess the current and future needs of students
• Decide what to change
• Determine if goals are being met
• Engage in continuous school improvement
• Identify root causes of problems
• Align instruction to standards.
• Provide personalized instruction.
• Track professional development
• Meet accountability provisions of NCLB
• Keep constituents informed about progress.

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Definition

• Data-Driven Decision Making
• A process of making choices based on appropriate
  analysis of relevant information

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No Child Left Behind

• Data collection, analysis and reporting are
  critical components of No Child Left Behind
  (NCLB).
• School districts must collect more data, in more
  detail and disaggregate them.
• State-level systems and support are being
  developed for collecting and integrating student
  assessment data with demographic information.

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Technology Matters
Technology Tools
Data
Information

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Perceived Benefits of Technology (Digital
Leadership Divide,CoSN/Grunwald Associates
Survey)
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Data Reality

• Wealth of data but little actual knowledge of
  what the data mean
• Scattered and antiquated technology
  infrastructure separate legacy systems
  impossible to link
• Data accessible only through gatekeeper data
  analysts
• Inaccurate, late or cumbersome data

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Technology Tools

• Infrastructure of networks, servers and
  telecommunications as foundation for
  applications
• Software applications for managing NCLB
  requirements, student information, and finance
• Data management and databases
• Decision support
• Data analysis
• Report writers
• Homegrown solutions

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Components of a Data Based Decision Making System
School Interoperability Framework IMS
Reporting and Analysis ServicesTurning data into
useful information
Dissemination Sharing data with the community
(ie report cards)
Data Warehouse
Reports
State and Federal Reporting Meeting reporting
compliance
Training Learning how to use data to make
informed decisions.
Personalized Instruction
Source US Department of Education, 2003.
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Data Warehousing

• Data warehousing and management tools are key to
  the data-based decision making required by No
  Child Left Behind.
• Solutions range from lower cost, prepackaged data
  models to products that are customized for
  districts from the ground up.

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K-12 Market

• Dynamic and growing K-12 market for computerized
  student data and business management systems
  (973 m in sales)
• Blurring lines among student information
  systems, assessment systems and data warehouses
• No one company offers the killer application or
  one stop shop solution

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Best Practices and Case Studies
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Union City , New Jersey

• Anthony Dragona, RSBA,School Business
  Administrator

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Union City Board of Education Leonard Calvo,
President Alicia Morejon, Vice President Johnny
Garces, Trustee Carlos Vallejo, Trustee Jeanette
Pena, Trustee José Mejia, Trustee Kennedy Ng,
Trustee Anthony N. Dragona, Interim Board
Secretary Stanley M. Sanger, Superintendent of
Schools Sylvia Abbato, Asst. Superintendent of
Schools Gerald Caputo, Asst. Superintendent of
Schools Robert Fazio, Asst. Superintendent of
Schools Antonio Perez, Asst. Superintendent of
Schools Anthony N. Dragona, School Business
Administrator.
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Introduction

• Born and raised in Union City, married w/ 2 sons
  13 10 years.
• Union City Board of Education 30 years
• Teacher, Principal, Asst. Principal and School
  Business Administrator
• Director, Public Safety Department 140 police and
  140 firemen - 1983-1986
• Past president of NJ Peer Helping Association
• Former Program Director Pompton Lakes Municipal
  Alliance
• President of Hudson County School Business
  Officials
• Speaker at Filemaker Developers Conference 2003
• Adjunct Professor - New Jersey City University
• Meritorious Service Award by New Jersey School
  Business Officials Association 2005
• Volunteer for Glen Rock Baseball Association

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A Snapshot of Union City, NJ

• 2006 Union City, New Jersey 07087
• 1.4 Square Miles - 78,000 population
• 10 minutes to New York City
• Home to Latino American cultures
• 11,250 students
• 2 High Schools (1,400 students each)
• 1 Middle School - NJ SCC opened Sept. 2004
• 9 Elementary Schools (5 K-8)
• 1 U.S.DoE. Blue Ribbon
• 6 Benchmark Schools, NJ Business Coalition,
  NJ Monthly
• 1,750 Employees - 1100 teachers
• 186,000,000 District Budget
• Only Abbott District to never ask for additional
  state aid!

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Vision

• Abbott District
• Restructuring of District Administrative
  Philosophy
• No Fault
• Clear and Constant Communication
• Team Building
• Professional Development
• Walk the Talk

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Operationalizing the Vision

• District vision and mission created
• from School-Level needs and priorities.
• District goals and objectives determined
• by Federal and State legislature.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making at all
• levels of the organization.

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Challenges

• Reduce paper
• Add efficiency to workflow
• Find an orderly way to collect data
• Project salaries for a multi-year employee
  contract
• Restructure district level management plan

• Use technology as a tool
• Ability to route and track tasks
• Response to governmental mandates (Professional
  Development)
• Implement Whole School Reform strategies
• Empower schools through the development of site
  based budgets

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Turning A Mouthful Into Bite-size Pieces

• Focus on Issues
• Managing Data
• Development of a Savvy Technology Team
• Walk the Talk
• Bring in the Pros

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Managing Data

• Paperless environment
• Job Applications
• Application or Posted Positions
• Teacher Evaluations
• Stipend Payrolls
• Everyone is a stakeholder and a data collector
• Streamline workflow and avoid duplication of
  efforts

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Evaluating Your Needs

• Determine what the challenges are
• Determine the basic needs
• Ask yourself, What do I wish I could do that I
  cant do now?
• Creative thinking, research, in-house inventory

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Development of Savvy Technology Team

• No small mission
• Strategic planning task force
• Convince the non believers
• Communicate initiative goals
• Move forward

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Walk the Talk

• Focus
• Clear and constant communication
• Evangelize your dreams
• Show the big picture
• Recruit support and feedback
• Act on suggestions

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Why And How To Choose And Use A Database ?

• Familiarity with the program
• Cross Platform
• Great Support Network
• Great value for dollars spent
• Small investment up front

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What is a Data Warehouse?

• An education Data Warehouse makes data accessible
  to people who need to make data driven decisions.
• A Data Warehouse gathers identified data from
  different locations and a variety of formats.
• Data Warehousing places important pieces of data
  in one location.
• A data warehouse focuses on integration
  instructional and administrative data.

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Why Data Warehousing?

• Systems that integrate data, known as data
  warehouses, are developed to solve problems and
  meet challenges.
• Industry leaders agree that data warehousing is a
  process, a journey and takes commitment.
• Data warehousing is a process, not a place
  META Group
• You cant buy a data warehouse, you have to
  build it. Computer World
• Data warehousing is a journey, not a
  destination. Data Warehousing
  Institute

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What Can A Data Warehousing Do For Us?

• With access to consistent data across the
  district we can best leverage the data to get
  results.
• Turning DATA into INFORMATION
• Turning INFORMATION to KNOWLEDGE
• Turning KNOWLEDGE to WISDOM

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What Direction To Take?
Alice said to the White Rabbit, Which road
should I take? Where do you want to go? asked
the White Rabbit I do not know, replied
Alice Well then, it doesnt matter which road
you take, does it? Lewis Carroll, Alices
Adventures in Wonderland - 1865
If we could first know where we are, and whither
we are tending, we could better judge what to do,
and how to do it. Abraham Lincoln House
Divided Speech June 16, 1858
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Strategic Questions

• Do our instructional practices have a positive
  impact on student achievement?

• Does our investment in Professional Development
  and Special Programs produce maximum gain in
  student achievement?

• Which teachers are teaching outside their area of
  certification?

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Strategic Questions

• Which students may require intervention programs?

• What is the relationship between NCLB
  expenditures and student performance?

• Is there a positive correlation between Student
  Assessment Practices and Student Achievement?

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Why?
N.C.L.B. Annual Yearly Performance
Category I Schools - Student Placement Fiscal
Congruency - Efficient and Effective Programs
If you know why, you can figure out how. W.
Edwards Deming
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Data Mining

• Data In Operational Systems
• PowerSchool Student Records
• SAGE Financial Records
• Test Mate Clarity Standardized Test Records
• School Base Human Resource Records
• T.I.E - Special Needs Tracking

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Data Mining

• Data Out Data Warehouse
• Makes organizations information accessible
• Understandable - Navigable - Fast Performance
• Makes the information consistent.
• To measure data, data must be labeled the same.
• Apples are apples
• An adaptive and resilient source of data

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Data Mining

• Designed for continuous change
• High security of data
• Provides greater visibility of data and
  strengthens group support
• Prevention of abuse. Record level access
• The foundation of decision making
• Decisions can be based on evidence.
• Decision support system

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Challenges Solved By FileMaker

• Human Resource Department Needs . . .
• Paperless environment
• Need for efficiency
• Overburdened Office Staff
• Information Management and Distribution
• Data Driven Decision Making

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The Solutions . . .

• Web Based Forms ex. Field Trip Requests,
• Internal Postings, Tuition Reimbursement,
  Registration for in-service courses and workshops
  (Intranet)
• On-Line job applications (Internet)
• Employee Evaluations and Professional
  Development.
• Staff Profile - Administrative Tool
• Extended Day stipend payroll generator.

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Human Resources and Finance Department

• Members of Strategic Planning Team
• Fiscal Planning and Program Review Task Force
• A fiscally conservative environment requires
  collaboration and a sense of unity of purpose.
• Databases store data, records and profiles .
  Databases also deliver data to desktops for use
  in School Based decisions.
• Relational Databases can share complex sets of
  data though customized views to many users.

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Budget Process

• 12 School Based Budgets
• 32 Child Care Provider Budgets
• 18 Central Office Departmental Budgets
• 62 Individual Budgets
• Timeline
• Deadlines initially appear unreasonable or
  impossible
• Perfect record of submission
• September to December - Schools and Providers
• November to February - Central Office
  Departments
• February to March - District Budget Submission

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Framework for Success
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How Have We Accomplished This?

• Researched Purchased HR Database
• Ease of use, cross platform and expandable
• 35 Databases have grown to 115 Databases all
  inter-related
• Record Level Access Security
• Partnership with Software Developer
• Customized it
• Employee Evaluation - 15 various forms
• Employee profile - 1 page snap shot of records
• Budget - 5 Year Projection w/ summary detail
• Professional Development - courses credits
• Added Pay/Added Day - Extra duties pay
• Policy File - Web enabled cost effective solution

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About Our Developer School Base

• Databases for School District Management
• Personnel Records Package
• Fourteen Sites - Massachusetts to Arizona
• Each Site is customized to be unique
• Personalized and Professional service and training

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FileMaker Your Districts Toolbox

• Board Meeting Agenda Creator
• Negotiations package - 5 year contract
• Attendance History - current and 2 prior years
• Fixed Assets - Location, value, status
• Early Childhood Survey, a State mandated
  Multilingual Web-based form
• Speaker Bureau / Workshop Evaluation Tool

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Recognitions

• Educator of the Month. Anthony Dragona
  FileMaker Inc. February 2003. For exemplary use
  of FileMaker solutions, UCBOE
• NJASBO - Meritorious Service Award
• Best Practice American Association of School
  Personnel Administrators - Presented to Mike
  DeNicola, UCBOE, for use of Personnel Records
• ASBO, International - Certificate of Excellence
  in Financial Reporting 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06

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Infrastructure For Success
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A S K 4 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 4
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G E P A 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 4
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H S P A 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 4
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Continuously Enrolled Students
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Continuously Enrolled Students
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Continuously Enrolled Students
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Moving Beyond the Mandate

• Growing number of districts are making major
  investments in data tools and in training as a
  way of
• Complying with NCLB and state accountability
  measures
• Meeting the student achievement targets that
  under grid these statutes

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Poway Unified School District California

• Enrollment 32,754 students in 31 schools in
  suburban San Diego
• All Students Learning/Whatever It Takes
• http//powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/

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Poway Unified School DistrictCalifornia

• Poway Improvement Process
• Organize and clean up years of data
• Design data warehouse based on student learning
  objectives
• Prioritize delivery to emphasize clarity and
  meaning
• Provide professional development to use system
  for frequent tasks
• Add filters, reports, and tools based on teacher
  feedback

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Poway Unified School DistrictCalifornia

• Data warehouse pulls information from the
  districts Total Information Management system,
  human-resources, and financial-management
  systems.
• Administrators can allocate more funding and
  other resources to a school whose test scores are
  slipping
• Soon, the data warehouse also will be able to
  pull information from the districts
  transportation and food-service databases.

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Poway Unified School DistrictCalifornia

• Results
• With increased use of TIM from 2002 to 2005,
  academic performance index increased from 813 to
  849
• Percent Proficient on California Standards
  English/Language Arts Test increased from 59 in
  2001 to 66 in 2005 for elementary school
  students, from 61 to 72 for middle school
  students and from 65 to 73 for high school
  students

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Fulton County, GA

• Getting started District wide strategic planning
  process in place
• Implementation Cross functional teams help
  school site with data use and analysis
• Results All elementary schools met AYP targets
  in 2003-4

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Lemon Grove , CA

• Getting started ubiquitous access to technology
  and focus on literacy
• Implementation easy to use reports of multiple
  measures
• Results 3 out of 4 Title I schools declared high
  achieving

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Cleveland Municipal School District

• Getting started data warehouse developed with
  site specialist access
• Implementation Data teams discuss and analyze
  results to apply interventions
• Results Reduced unexcused absences in one school
  from 9 to 2

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Group Exercise
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Group Exercise 1

• Identify a problem that you are currently facing
  in your school or school district
• Indicate the types of data you will need to make
  a decision
• Identify the technology that you are or plan to
  use to address this issue  
• Describe the barriers that you have encountered
  or anticipate encountering in move ahead with the
  implementation plan

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DATA COLLECTION AND INTEGRATION CHECKLIST

• Is a data warehouse in place?
• Are the technical and human support tools in
  place to move data from warehouse to schoolhouse?
• Are systems developed to integrate data into
  instruction?
• Are teachers using assessments to measure
  progress?
• Are curriculum and assessments aligned to
  standards?

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DATA ANALYSIS CHECKLIST

• Do teachers have access to data in an easy-to-use
  format soon after assessment?
• Does the district support the process with
  analytical tools and trained staff to give
  decision makers confidence in the data and tools?
• Are teachers trained to use item analysis to
  understand student outcomes and instructional
  effectiveness?

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USING DATA CHECKLIST

• Does the district provide the tools and training
  to interpret and query data?
• Have data teams developed a process for
  identifying, recommending and implementing
  intervention based on data?
• Do district and school-site change agents support
  teachers and their use of targeted interventions?

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Group Exercise 2

• Report out your findings
• Share your experiences
• Capture the findings ---
• We want to present these to a larger audience and
  post on www.3d2know.org

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Challenges and Lessons Learned
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Challenges

• The greatest challenge is not technical nor
  technological, but the lack of training to help
  educators use data and understand its power

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Providing Professional Development

• Most teachers and administrators not trained in
  data analysis and those developing computerized
  data systems arent educators
• More time and resources for training are essential

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Lessons Learned

• It takes time.
• It has to start at the top with committed
  leadership.
• Progress has to be measurable
• Business models are starting points.
• Community outreach is essential.

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Lessons Learned

• Select your technology team based on expertise
  and ability to perform
• Technologies employed must be based on the
  business goals and not the other way around
• Let the technology team do their job with
  frequent check points to the business model

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Lessons Learned

• Success depends on a collaborative team approach.
  
• The process is continual and cyclical moving from
  the collection of data , to reporting and
  analysis and finally to using data for targeted
  interventions.
• Technology tools are effective if used properly.

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Lessons Learned

• Majority of districts are making progress in
  collection of data and most are working towards
  analysis and reporting.
• Challenging task remains providing teachers with
  proven strategies for targeted interventions in
  the classroom.

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For Additional Information www.3d2know.org

• What's New
• Publications
• Best Practices
• Other Resources
• Subscribe to the Newsletter
• FAQs
• Assessment Tool

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New!! Professional Development

• Professional development resources for district
  level technology decision makers,
• Based on CoSN Essential Skills Framework
• Includes backgrounder book and workshop CD with
  participant workbook to teach you everything you
  need to know about using data effectively in the
  educational process.
• Available at https//my.cosn.org/mycosn/store/

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COSN Leadership Initiatives

• Accessible Technologies for All Students Project
• http//www.accessibletech4all.org/
• Increasing achievement and success for all
  students through the unlimited and effective use
  of accessible technologies
• Taking Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) to the
  Classroom http//classroomtco.cosn.org/
• Helping School Leaders Budget More Accurately
  for Education Technology
• Cyber Security for the Digital District
• http//securedistrict.cosn.org/
• Ensuring Security of School Networks
• NEW! K-12 Open Technologies
• www.k12opentech.org
• Helping Educators Adopt and Evaluate Open
  Technologies in the K-12 Environment
• New!! Value of Investment
• http//www.edtechvoi.org/
• Providing Tools to Understand the Costs and
  Benefits of Technology Projects

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K-12 School Networking Conference
Bridging Individualized Learning High Stakes
Accountability www.k12schoolnetworking.org March
28-30, 2007 CoSNs K-12 School Networking
Conference is the premier event for education
leaders on technology and learning through the
Internet! The conference attracts over 800
district, state and national education technology
leaders. International Symposium on March 27,
2007 Using Games and Simulations for Engaged
Learning
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THANKS!!

• Irene K. Speroirene_at_cosn.orgVice
  President202-861-2676 x112 1710 Rhode Island
  Ave., NW 900Washington, DC 20036www.cosn.org

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For additional information http//www..union-city
.k12.nj.us Anthony N. Dragona, School Business
Administrator adragona_at_union-city.k12.nj.us

201 348.5677