A major component of all effective educational data systems is the ability to integrate and design data features that can be used to extract information for use in diagnostic/formative evaluations of student achievement, including the ability to extract information for assessment or evaluation of curricula and professional development programs designed to increase student achievement. Too often, development of integrated data systems is more a "placement" of data into existing infrastructure of an external contractor minimizing the ability of school systems to design and implement assessments and evaluations specific to their needs. The ability to create basic descriptive reports from a few selected variables may generate disaggregated data reports, but it does not constitute analysis of educational systems or student achievement. The National Office for Research on Measurement and Evaluation Systems (NORMES) at the University of Arkansas has engineered technologies in conjunction with developing integrated analysis features that create flexibility for educators to conduct their own diagnostic and formative evaluations of student achievement that go beyond simple descriptive analyses. Additionally, the ability to manage data by an educational statistics program at a university provides an outstanding model for others to replicate that can provide a statistically responsible support system for school systems.

Sessions in Data Use/Data Standards track:

I-C, I-D, I-E, II-A, II-C, III-C, IV-C, IV-H, V-C, V-H, VI-C, VII-A, VII-C, VIII-C, VIII-H, IX-A, IX-C, IX-F, IX-H, X-A, X-C, X-F, XI-A, XI-D, XII-C, XII-D

The Indiana e-Transcript Initiative was launched in late 2005. Attendees joined Matt Fleck with the Indiana Department of Education and John O'Connell from Docufide to discuss the three-year old system's outcomes, feedback and lessons learned, and information on the system's proposed enhancements sought for 2009. Specifically, this session discussed:

• the organizational impact the system has had on K-12 and higher education;
• from college application, to transcripts and the counselor's secondary school report and LOR's;
• how all of this is now done effectively, economically and electronically in Indiana; and,
• expansion to include K8 record exchange, local course normalization to the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) school codes for the exchange of data (SCED) standard, and 9-12 diploma audits against Indiana's Core 40 requirements.

Download PDF Presentation:

Analysis of Indiana's Statewide e-Transcript System -Past, Present, and
Future- (314 KB)

Sessions in Other track:

I-H, VI-H, XI-B, XII-A, XII-H

Horry County (South Carolina) Schools presented the current status of their proof of concept project based on the Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) standard. This project utilizes a dynamic XML-based ETL tool that extracts data from their student information system and assessment stores via SIF to a data warehouse. Ultimately, they will connect their student information system, food service, library health, human resources, assessment and directory services applications.

Sessions in Data Use/Data Standards track:

I-C, I-D, I-E, II-A, II-C, III-C, IV-C, IV-H, V-C, V-H, VI-C, VII-A, VII-C, VIII-C, VIII-H, IX-A, IX-C, IX-F, IX-H, X-A, X-C, X-F, XI-A, XI-D, XII-C, XII-D

The EDFacts project is rolling out a new metadata collection tool, EDFacts Metadata And Process System (EMAPS). The first EMPAS project rolled out to states is the racial and ethnic data collection plans, which was demonstrated in this session. Future data collection plans for the EMAPS tool were discussed, and input from participants was solicited.

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The Process for Metadata Collection (1.9 MB)

Sessions in EDFacts track:

II-E, III-E, IV-E, V-E, VI-E, VII-E, VIII-E, IX-E, X-E, XI-E

As the amount and complexity of information available to decision-makers increases with the development of longitudinal systems, as Herbert Simon would say, "does a wealth of information create a poverty of attention?" This session presented an innovative framework for Data Driven Decision Making (DDDM), based on decades of empirical research in operations and decision research. Strategies to effectively process different kinds of information, especially from formative and summative assessments, were discussed, and an interactive visualization application to support DDDM through a "web as participation platform" was demonstrated.

Sessions in Longitudinal Data Systems (LDS) track:

I-G, II-G, III-G, IV-G, V-G, VI-G, VII-G, VIII-G, IX-G, X-G, XI-G, XII-G

Everett Public Schools, a district of 18,500 students in Everett, Washington, has put in place a comprehensive initiative to ensure the accuracy and completeness of data used for instructional programs, decision making, parent communications, and state reporting. This session focused on a new approach to identifying and monitoring data and policy issues that warrant investigation, intervention or improvement, by using rule-based early-warning indicators that detect patterns and anomalies in student data.

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Data Quality Monitoring and Improvement Initiative at Everett Public
Schools (3.1 MB)

Sessions in Data Quality track:

II-H, III-D, V-D, VII-H, IX-D, X-D, XI-H

A view of Washington's assessment data applications for processing, editing and reporting assessment information. The applications described are designed to assist school districts in managing test operations, resolving test record conflicts, and receiving and reporting test results.

Sessions in Washington State track:

I-I, II-I, III-A, III-I, IV-I, V-I, VI-I, VII-I, VIII-F, VIII-I, IX-I, X-I, XI-I, XII-I