CTAP4 Data Assessment

This Web site is part of the statewide initiative to close the achievement gap. Aimed at supporting the work of policymakers, educators, and interested community members, it is the electronic hub for helpful information, research, and success stories about efforts to close the gap in California.

One of the most vexing problems in American education is the achievement gap. Schools and districts are tackling the problem in different ways and seeing results. The first step in dealing with the achievement gap is acknowledging that the problem exists. Yet not all districts break down student performance data to show how various racial and ethnic groups perform.

From the Annenberg Institute. Using Data for Decisions. A study of four leading-edge districts suggests what it might take to create a system that provides useful information about early signals of progress toward academic achievement.

A Louisiana district scours a year's worth of discipline reports for patterns. It occurred to Bowman that analyzing the reports could provide insight into the root causes of disciplinary problems--tardiness, dress code violations, fighting, vandalism, and more--as well as the effectiveness of how the schools deal with them, and how fairly discipline is enforced. The reports generally contain structured data, including demographic information such as the student's grade and age, and a written narrative that describes the infraction.

How to build a data warehouse that unifies your information infrastructure and meets the new accountability demands head-on

This case study from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) provides an up-close look at how one of these trailblazers has established a sustainable strategy for data-driven decision making (DDDM).

One of the country's largest school districts has found great success in managing student records through a customized data warehousing, reporting, and analytics package. Teachers and administrators are extremely pleased with the tool, which helps them track the large and often transient student populations they serve in rapidly growing Hillsborough County, Florida.

Teachers understand the importance of accountability and they embrace it. But an accurate and fair school accountability system remains elusive.Accountability has become a 'gotcha game'-designed to blame and punish, rather than to build capacity for improvement. Article describes four pillars of a new system of accountability.

In a move that could prompt major changes in the way states measure the achievement of English-language learners, the U.S. Department of Education is planning to tell states they must each use a consistent yardstick in determining when a child is fluent in English and when that child no longer needs special ELL services.

With over 420,000 students and more than 600 schools, Chicago Public Schools finds itself in all three stages of data-driven decision making at once: collection, analysis, and action. The master data warehouse is nearly complete and will be rolled out in fall 2007 along with systems for specialized services management, curriculum instruction, and student information. Analysis is handled by the Office of Research and Analysis and published on a dedicated research Web site (http://research.cps.k12.il.us). The Principals Technology Leadership Institute (PTLI) is training principals in the art and science of using data for decision-making within their schools.

When K-12 school districts began implementing the first student information systems (SISs) during the 1990s, special education was largely left out of the process. The two systems evolved as separate entities, technologically speaking, and in the handling of individualized education programs (IEPs), paper remained the dominant storage medium long after other student records had made the digital transition.Left out of the digital revolution for too long, special education is finally being integrated into student information systems.

It seems like you can't go a whole week lately without hearing about some major data security breach that has made national headlines. For businesses, these data leaks are bad enough-but for schools, they can be especially costly, as network security breaches can put schools in violation of several federal laws intended to protect students' privacy.

May 2008 : THE Journal. The challenge for teachers is to find ways to support in-depth learning and increased student achievement, "...while also employing a variety of measures, including standardized tests." What kinds of new methods would provide the kind of learning environments and learning measurements that truly reflect the learning that is taking place? What new skills are needed if instructors are to meet this challenge?

April 2008 : THE Journal. As each district progresses, it will face new challenges discerning what data is relevant, addressing tolerance for change among users, and figuring out how to respond now that data is driving its decision-making.
\nStage 1: Define the Outcomes
\nStage 2: Define the Questions
\nStage 3: Collect and Sort
\nStage 4: Extract Meaning
\nStage 5: Take Action
\nStage 6: Evaluate Outcomes, Modify as Needed

With a significant and growing population of linguistically diverse learners, careful measures must be taken to ensure equitable assessment of students' performance. If not, the achievement gap between the "advantaged" and "disadvantaged" will widen in our society (NCEST, 1992). Studies over the last decade have resulted in findings that can be translated into guidelines that can assist in equitable assessments. However, it will be up to state and local education agencies to begin the process of crafting assessments that reflect this knowledge and meet the educational needs of their student populations.

Data warehousing has become an essential district tool. Historically available only to large corporations due to price and complexity, data warehousing is now an affordable and manageable option for gathering, manipulating and incorporating district data. While the inclusion of a data warehouse can be a boon for districts, the process of its development and support needs careful planning and management.

Historically available only to large corporations due to price and complexity, data warehousing is now an affordable and manageable option for gathering, manipulating and incorporating district data. While the inclusion of a data warehouse can be a boon for districts, the process of its development and support needs careful planning and management.

10 Research-Based Principles to Guide Classroom Practice. You can also download a free poster on the 10 principles from this site.