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Concurrent Session XII Presentations


Friday, July 13, 2012
11:00 am – 12:00 pm


XII–A: Enabling Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) “On the Wire”

Larry Fruth and Vince Paredes, SIF Association
Alex Jackl, Choice Solutions, Inc.
Greg Nadeau, Public Consulting Group

    With the many efforts underway to standardize education data, there is some question as to how to fit all the pieces together. Can we make a coherent picture from this puzzle—perhaps via Common Education Data Standards (CEDS)? The SIF Association leadership has agreed to an aggressive technical shift to support CEDS by recasting the SIF 3.0 Specification to incorporate all of CEDS Version 2 while also renewing emphasis on the use of commercial web standards to exchange data—enabling “CEDS on the Wire” across the country. This session provides a status report and an opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback, and find out how to become more involved in a community of practice around the implementation of CEDS.

XII–B: Using Data to Help Improve Students’ Success in High School and Beyond: Approaches for Two Districts

Renee Foose, Howard County Public Schools (Maryland)
Vasuki Rethinam and Yakoubou Ousmanou, Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland)

    Montgomery County and Baltimore County Public Schools have each used research to understand students’ high school experiences to help target support for students to improve their outcomes in high school and beyond. In Baltimore, data were used to explore high school factors that relate to college readiness and immediate enrollment in any postsecondary institutions. In Montgomery County, the district has utilized a prediction model to identify students who are at academic risk. In both districts, students are being identified for additional support as early as 8th grade. Presenters will share how districts and schools can make use of these data to implement impactful changes.

XII–C: Zero to Dashboards in 15 Months: Delaware’s Accelerated Approach to Statewide Dashboards

Reese Robinson, Delaware Department of Education
Lori Fey, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation

    Delaware, one of the first two Race to the Top awardees, developed and deployed a systems strategy that took the Department from Remote File Inclusion (RFI) to live, statewide dashboards in less than 18 months. In this session, you will hear how the strategy leveraged the Ed-Fi tool suite as well as the lessons learned in implementation and initial educator reactions and feedback. The session also covers the practical aspects of implementing Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) in this environment.

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XII–D: The Graduation Response Actionable Data System (GRADS): An Early Warning Indicator System for College- and Career-Readiness in Georgia

Dennis Kramer II, Georgia Department of Education
Ryoko Yamaguchi, Plus Alpha Research & Consulting, LLC

    This presentation focuses on research using Georgia’s State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) to create an early warning indicator system statewide for college- and career-readiness amongst its high school students. The purpose of the Graduation Response Actionable Data System (GRADS) is (1) to create a statewide early warning indicator system to promote high school graduation, ontrack college preparation, and post-secondary success; and (2) to develop toolkits and professional development activities so that the indicator can be utilized for school improvement. Eventually, the SLDS will be linked to postsecondary education data to model a K–16 on-track indicator system.

XII–E: So You Want Good Data? Why It’s Not A Systems Problem and How to Fix It

Troy Wheeler, Idaho State Department of Education

    Why human and business process factors trump even the best data systems designs. This session is a frank, and hopefully fun, discussion about the true issues surrounding data collection and quality and ten actions you can take.

XII–F: Saving Money, Increasing Flexibility: Colorado’s Approach to Streamlining Data Collection and Improving Use

Dan Domagala, Colorado Department of Education
Adam Miller, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
Zeynep Young, Double Line Partners

    Colorado Department of Education has a multi-phased approach to enhancing data collection and use capabilities statewide. In this session, you will hear the approach of the Phase I work to streamline data collections from local agencies using the Ed-Fi tool suite. Everything from the initial rationale for using the Ed-Fi tools to the results of the collections analysis process are covered, along with lessons learned to benefit others undertaking similar efforts.

XII–G: Nightly Collection Data Pump

James McMahon, Louisiana Department of Education
Kamal Kumar and Eddie Parker, Otis Educational Systems

    The Louisiana Department of Education had a need to quickly and efficiently collect student enrollment, attendance, and discipline data from district and charter school organizations within the state. The SIS data was hosted at various sites both inside the state and outside the state. Using the Vertical Data Submitter (aka “Data Pump”), Louisiana was able to collect this data with a simple app in a very short period of time. It plans on using this tool to expand data collection statewide and aggregate all SIS data on a nightly basis in Louisiana.

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XII–H: The Minnesota Systems Interoperability Framework (SIF) Pilot Project—What We Did and Where We Are Going

Craig Rhombs, Minnesota Department of Education
Gay Sherman and Aziz Elia, CPSI, Ltd.

    The Minnesota Department of Education is conducting a pilot that began in 2011 to gain experience using the Systems Interoperability Framework (SIF) protocol to exchange district data. The pilot is investigating the exchange of student existence/identity data using a real time data collection model with districts selected in a grant process. Funding for this project is part of a larger effort associated with the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Grant to determine the feasibility of using SIF. Final results of the SIF pilot will be published for future consideration and expansion. This session covers the project and lessons learned.

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XII–I: Implementation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Joint Enrollment, Adult Literacy, Penetration Rates, and Other Reporting Metrics

Vladimir Bassis, Iowa Department of Education

    While geographic information systems (GIS) have been used successfully in a variety of fields, education has not taken full advantage of spatial databases for decisionmaking processes. Contrary to popular assumptions, GIS can be affordable and does not mandate special background beyond reasonable knowledge of database management. This presentation demonstrates GIS methods for creating enhanced visual presentations of educational data and the role of GIS as a unique tool for decisionmaking in education. Among other examples of GIS utilization, this presentation includes tracking Iowa high school students into their postsecondary education in Iowa community colleges, distributing funds for adult literacy education, and mapping patterns of the migration of Iowa community college students.

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