II–A

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Handbooks Online provide guidance on consistency in data definitions and maintenance of education data, so that such data can be accurately aggregated and analyzed. Version 5.0 of the Handbooks Online is currently available and development of version 6.0 is underway. In an effort to encourage more states to use the handbooks, NCES has developed a state customization tool. State personnel will be able to use the customization tool to build a data dictionary by adding to, deleting from, and editing the NCES data elements and option sets. The tool offers the advantages of a built-in foundation of data elements and option sets; state control of the content update schedule; and a well-defined database hierarchy. This session provided a brief update on version 6.0 content development and focused on the features and functionality of the customization tool.

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• NCES Handbooks Online: State Customization Tool (299 KB)

II–B

The U.S. Department of Education’s Pilot Growth Model Program has created significant interest in the use of growth models in No Child Left Behind. Additionally, the national Data Quality Campaign has generated interest on what data quality means. The goal of this session was to present an overview of how longitudinal data, growth models, data quality, and reporting can be intersected to provide useful information to teachers, administrators, and parents. Furthermore, this session demonstrated some wonderful and simple techniques for ensuring your data reports are reliable and will help improve instruction and student achievement.

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• Understanding Longitudinal Data: Data Quality, Growth, and Reports in the Age of NCLB (12 KB)

II–C

This session described a methodology and findings related to using the annual California School Technology Survey (CSTS) to determine how instructional technology is being supported in schools, as well as what types of human resources are providing that support. The survey collects data on a variety of technical support questions, including the average time to repair hardware, and the level of technical support in each of seven human resource categories: certificated staff, classified staff, contracted vendors, students, etc. TechSETS conducted an analysis of this data in an effort to better understand the sources of technology support in schools.

II–D

This session reviewed the accomplishments and future plans for providing federal elementary and secondary education program managers and analysts with all of the numeric data collected in the Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR) through EDFacts. There was also a discussion of current and future uses of these data, a study which compared data submitted to both CSPR and EDEN Submission System (ESS), and lessons learned from pre-population of data from ESS. There was opportunity for the audience to provide suggestions concerning the CSPR online collection process.

II–E

Information systems should contribute in many ways to the businesses that create them. Demonstrating that contribution or value is often difficult, but it is critical if we are to know which systems add value to our enterprise, which are candidates for enhancement, and which should be decommissioned. The creative use of metrics can simplify these activities while simultaneously providing a wealth of information about our systems and the people that use them. This presentation from North Carolina identified various classes of information system metrics and provide recommendations for high value metrics in a range of scenarios.

Every website can benefit from the collection and analysis of website usage data. By using various techniques, the National Center for Education Statistics website can be continually updated to promote new content, improve navigation, and better serve the needs of its users. The Director of Technology for the Institute of Education Sciences discussed these techniques.

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• Demonstrating Value in Information Systems Using Metrics (822 KB)

II–F

In this demonstration, we presented several tools developed for National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data analysis and reporting. We showcased how we have utilized the NAEP data infrastructure to produce a state ranking tool and customized reports for state and school district representatives. We displayed innovations for disaggregating data at the student level on individual items, giving users the ability to visualize item level performance. In addition, we showed how we have created innovative systems for creating SVG graphics directly for the NAEP database, increasing the number, quality, and reliability of data displays on the NAEP website.

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• Building Innovative Tools for Reporting Data from the
  Nation's Report Card (12.18 MB)

II–G

Filemaker Pro provides the education IT community with robust tools for rapid development and implementation of challenging IT-based database solutions and applications. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and open enrollment transfer policies present an educational organization with complex data requirements and business rules that can be difficult and time consuming to integrate using traditional database solutions. Albuquerque Public Schools is the 27th largest public school district in the United States with about 90,000 students. Some 12,000 students are on NCLB or open enrollment transfers each year. This paper describes how Filemaker Pro was used to develop an NCLB and Open Enrollment system to support the district.

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• Methodology for Developing a Database for No Child Left Behind and Open Enrollment Transfers (464 KB)

II–H

Can a student's record be exchanged in a secure automated electronic Schools Interoperability Framework format? The answer is yes! We presented the work being done to pilot this exciting activity with Naperville Illinois School District 203. We presented our work and findings to date, the architecture behind the pilot, and the data requirements needed as we move forward expanding the possibilities.