Innovative Data Use: Examples from REL West and Beyond

1. Innovative Data Use:Examples from REL West and Beyond Ellen B. Mandinach WestEd February, 11, 2013

2. A Recent Quote “Education data have to be useful, useable, and used.” (Schneider, 2013)

3. Examples of SEA Innovations • The Virginia Department of Education • The Arkansas Department of Education • The Hawaii Department of Education • The Maryland Department of Education • The Oregon Department of Education

4. Virginia Department of Education • Data-minded chief state school officer. • Had one of the few research directors at an SEA who could bridge the needs of the program staff, SLDS, research, administration, and REL. • Has an established SLDS with excellent direction that captures the vision of the SEA and has outreach to the LEAs. • Includes in licensure requirements, the need to demonstrate competency in data use.

5. Arkansas Department of Education • “If Walmart can do it, why can’t we?” quote by former commissioner • Committed SLDS director trained in data systems and data use. • Recently established research arm for the SLDS. • Created understandable and useable graphical displays. • Training across the state on formative assessment, with an SLDS component to incorporate those data.

6. Hawaii Department of Education • Wrote into their SLDS proposal substantial educator training in data use. • Creating an Longitudinal Data System training site for current educators, future educators, policymakers, educational staff, and other stakeholders. • Opening up the LDS training site to educator preparation programs. • Consulting with the Oregon Data Project and other professional development providers.

7. Maryland Department of Education • Goal – “how to make data part of the culture.” • Wrote into their SLDS proposal a large training component. • Creation of a Learning Management System, dashboard, webinars, seminars, workshops, self-serve portal with diverse resources. • Hiring professionals to conduct the training. • Train the trainer model. Train data coaches. • Training for legislators, superintendents, and principals.

8. Oregon Department of Education • Integrated data training into their SLDS proposals. • Created the Oregon Data Project, an arm of the ODE. • ODP has conducted training in a large proportion of the state’s LEAs. • ODP has established a training model that is hopefully sustainable. • ODP includes collaborations with five state institutions of higher education. • Dean of Western Oregon who enculurated data there, joins ODE to further enculturate data use.

9. Examples of Innovative Data Use in LEAs: Different Aspects • Jefferson County Public Schools (KY) • Kenton County Public Schools (KY) • Charlottesville City Schools (VA) • Loudon County Public Schools (VA) • Tucson Unified Public Schools (AZ) • Washoe County School District (NV) • Mamaroneck Union Free School District (NY) • Long Beach Unified School District (CA) • Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, (TN)

10. Jefferson County Public Schools – “will provide valid, reliable, and useful data to decision makers in a timely manner” • Vision: Enhance the use of data-driven decision making, quality indicators, programmatic evaluation and district-wide accountability measures that will lead to continuous student, school and district improvement. • Mission • Provide accurate data to customers in an efficient and timely manner • Support the district’s formative and summative assessment systems • Fulfill state and federal guidelines, policy, and reporting requirements associated with accountability Source: R. Rodosky

11. Jefferson County Public Schools - continued • Has a data zealot as director of data management, planning, and program evaluation. He has emphasized the importance of data throughout the district. Survived different administrations. • Developed their own data systems to meet their needs. Customized and raised funds for development. Raised $40 million. Data warehouse, testing system, summative and formative assessment systems, and data dashboards. • Trained staff on system use. • Has a competent research department to assist the district on data issues. • Brought in Stiggins to provide comprehensive training on formative assessment.

12. Kenton County Public Schools • Top administration committed to establishing a data culture. • This culture has survived an administration transition. Deeply embedded vision. • Principals have received training, yet teacher training is only turn-key at this point. • Collaborating with Northern Kentucky on data issues to supplement expertise. • Collaborating with WestEd to seek funding to examine the systemic nature of data use.

13. Charlottesville City Schools • Hired a data-minded superintendent who has transformed the district. • Like-minded principals have been hired. • Established and implemented a data culture. • Developed and customized data systems to meet specific needs. • Committed data and research director. • Training programs for staff. • One staff member teacher data-driven decision making at the University of Virginia.

14. Loudon County Public Schools • A data-minded superintendent who walks the walk not just talks the talk • An assistant superintendent who emphasizes data in all discussions • A research director (now departed) who developed data systems, established a data culture, provided comprehensive training, and showed that data use can make a difference (Knobloch, 2007, 2010)

15. Loudon County Public Schools –Data Analysis and Decision-Making Protocol

16. Loudon County Public Schools –An Example of Use

17. Loudon County Public Schools –An Example of Use

18. Tucson Unified School District • “Data-driven and people-powered”. • Principals are required to take an authentic assessment to develop a school improvement plan using a set of data to demonstrate data literacy. Contingency for hiring • Developed home-grown data systems that informed the Arizona Department of Education. • Have been using data to solve pressing problems for years – e.g., out migration of students to charters. (Long, Rivas, Light, & Mandinach, 2008)

19. Washoe County School District • Introduced a teacher evaluation system for elementary, middle, and high school • Piloting a classroom observation protocol for their teacher evaluation system. 2012 in 16 schools. Psychometric examination of the system. Study by REL West. • System evaluates: (a) Planning and preparation; (b) Classroom environment; (c) Instruction; (d) Professional responsibilities • May be generalizable to the Nevada Department of Education and other districts

20. Mamaroneck Union Free School District • Superintendent has made data use a priority to help decrease the achievement gap. • Has created a data culture throughout the district. • Has formed data teams in all schools and made possible time for teaming. • Principals have become data leaders. (King & Amon, 2008)

21. Long Beach Unified School District • Hiring decisions made on teachers’ ability to use data. • Has a relationship with Long Beach State in which the district is forcing the institution of higher education to better prepare its teacher candidates for data-driven practices.

22. Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools • Recognizes the importance of having students become their own data-driven decision makers. • Made this an emphasis in their RTTT District proposal. • Have begun to explore training opportunities to help teachers with this initiative. • This corresponds to the second recommendation in the IES Practice Guide on data use (Hamilton, Halverson, Jackson, Mandinach, Supovitz, & Wayman, 2009). • Seeking proposal opportunities to support data training.

23. Some Common Themes • Leadership and vision are essential. • Finding the resources requires creativity. • Enculturation takes time and commitment. • Sustainability across administrations is possible with sufficient embedding of the data culture. • The status quo often has to be shaken up. • Training for all educators and associated stakeholders is important. • Not every exemplar has all components. This is a systemic process. It takes time, money, energy, and patience.

24. Ellen Mandinach 202-674-9300 email:emandin@WestEd.org 1350 Connecticut Avenue. N.W, Washington, DC 20036

25. Contact REL West 866-853-1831 email: relwest@WestEd.org website:relwest.WestEd.org 730 Harrison Street • San Francisco, CA 94107