Death…by…data

Ever feel overwhelmed with information?

Ever see so many numbers your brain turns off?

Welcome to Public Education.

At a workshop put on by the administrative staff of the Battle Ground School District we had the chance to learn more about what data/information they gather and hear about possible ways it can be used. The staff was thorough and open. In this story we would like to share the details we gathered and share some thoughts and ask some questions. You can find out what’s happening in your local school district.

Let’s start out with the workshop presentation slides (as pdf files you everyone can open them): Data_BGSD_Board Data Presentation 11.14.16

If you don’t want to read the slides here’s our summary:

1. There are four (4) types of testing:
   1. Summative State Assessments
      ❏ Smarter Balanced (Math and ELA)
      ❏ End of Course (HS Science)
      ❏ Measurement of Student Progress (MS Science)
   2. ❏ Intermittent Assessments
      ❏ i-Ready Diagnostic (Reading and Math)
      ❏ Smarter Balanced Interims (ELA and Math)
   3. ❏ Classroom Based Assessments
      ❏ State CBAs (Social Studies,The Arts, Health and Physical Education)
      ❏ District/PLC Written Assessments
   4. ❏ Formative Feedback to Drive Daily Instruction
      ❏ Direct observations (“clipboard data”)
      ❏ Smarter Balanced Interims/i-Ready Growth Monitoring and Standards Mastery
      ❏ Classroom quizzes
2. Data tools:
   1. OSPI Report Card
      ❏ Proficiency
      ❏ Subgroup comparisons
   2. ❏ OSPI Data Analytics Tool
      ❏ Proficiency
      ❏ Student Growth Percentiles (SGPs)
      ❏ Subgroup comparisons
   3. ❏ i-Ready Data Reports
      ❏ Screener and diagnostic information for intervention programs
      ❏ Measuring growth
      ❏ Motivating School Improvement
      ❏ Homeroom
3. Data reports include:
   1. State Assessment Results
      ❏ State Testing Cohort Data Grid (only accessible by district personnel)
      ❏ OSPI Website (only accessible by district personnel)
   2. ❏ I-Ready Results (only accessible by district personnel)
      ❏ I-Ready Website (only accessible by district personnel)
4. Questions and Indicators (next steps in our process)
   ❏ What are the essential questions to answer in support of the Strategic Plan?
   ❏ High Expectations
   ❏ Quality Learning
   ❏ How should these questions be modified in light of …
   ❏ District Improvement?
   ❏ School Improvement?
   ❏ Informing instruction?
   ❏ Helping individual students be successful?
   ❏ What data do we use to focus our improvement efforts?
   ❏ Proficiency
   ❏ Growth
   ❏ Comparison of subgroups
   ❏ At what times, in what formats, and in what settings is this data analyzed?

We followed up with the administration after the workshop and asked a series of questions. We offer those here: BGSD_Data_Workshop_Nov_14_2016_Questions_Responses

If you don’t want to read the document here is our summary:

• There is no breakout nor understanding of how much time is spent working with data and reports
• They have tons of data but don’t yet have a handle on what to use or how to use it…they just have it and hope to figure it out over time
• The new iReady testing is supposed to help…more on that in a future blog article

Takeaways?

1. There appears to be so much time spent gathering data, testing, analyzing that it’s “paralysis through analysis”
2. They have no grasp of whether any of this is useful and if so what and how
3. There is a tremendous amount of time and money gathering data which may never have value but is being saved just in case. One is reminded of putting the cart in front of the horse.