Concurrent Session VIII Presentations


Thursday, July 31, 2014
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm


VIII–A: A Collaboration of Two States: The Georgia Tunnel and the Rhode Island Instructional Support System

Lee Rabbitt, Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Robert Swiggum, Georgia Department of Education

    This session will highlight the collaboration of Georgia and Rhode Island to provide an instructional data system that meets the needs of both states. Georgia developed the Georgia Tunnel through a statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS) grant. Rhode Island (RI) used the Georgia Tunnel code to develop the RI Instructional Support System. This presentation will highlight the collaboration between the two states and the benefits from this collaborative process.

VIII–B: Review of a Cross-District Research Alliance Developed to Facilitate District Data Use

David Weinberger, Yonkers Public Schools (New York)
Brandan Keaveny, Syracuse City School District (New York)
David Phillips, WestEd

    This presentation will review the recent progress of the Urban School Improvement Alliance (USIA), a research alliance composed of directors of research for mid-sized urban districts in the Northeast. This alliance has identified a goal of helping build the capacity of its members to use and access data to address questions around how to improve low-performing schools. In its third year, this research alliance has established norms for meeting and sharing information and is working with the Regional Education Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL–NEI) to support data use in its member districts and to implement components of its research agenda.

VIII–C: Monitoring Actual Wyoming School- and District-Level Resource Allocations Compared to Funding-Model-Generated Resources

Jed Cicarelli, Wyoming Department of Education
Richard Seder, Emergent Policy & Systems, Inc.

    Since 2008–09, the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) has generated the annual “Continued Review of Educational Resources in Wyoming” report utilizing data managed almost exclusively within the state’s statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS). This report provides Wyoming’s education community with a high-quality view of actual school- and district-level staffing allocations and expenditures compared to resources generated by the state’s funding model for the state’s 300-plus public schools in all 48 districts. This session will explain how WDE and Wyoming’s school districts have worked collaboratively to develop common staffing definitions, assignment codes, and state/federal time-allocation detail allowing for increasingly precise reporting of full-time equivalent (FTE) and salary data. Participants will want to explore an illustrative web portal at https://portals.edu.wyoming.gov/Reports/Public/wde-reports-2012/ finance/crerw-2013.

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VIII–D: College Access and Readiness Outcomes of the University of California's Transcript Evaluation Service

Reginald Hillmon, University of California, Office of the President
Roger Studley and Karen Levesque, RTI International

    This session will present results of an outcomes analysis—conducted under an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Research Grant—of the first seven years of the University of California’s (UC) Transcript Evaluation Service (TES). TES offers students, counselors, and administrators data tools to assist with student preparation for college, college advising, and school-level planning. Among the 152 participating high schools, college eligibility rates increased substantially. College-level course-taking and applications and admissions to UC also increased. UC’s Office of the President has used the outcomes results to drive improvement in its college preparation initiatives and better coordination between its high school and transfer admissions programs.

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VIII–E: So You Want a 21st Century Website: North Carolina’s Move to Data Visualization Software for the School Report Cards

Diane Dulaney, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Emily Baranello, SAS

    North Carolina converted from an out-of-date technology platform to SAS Visual Analytics for the 2014 release of the Title I School Report Cards. This move allows the state to adapt more quickly to changes in the policy environment and provide a much richer user experience, while at the same time reducing the burden on the department’s IT staff. With the new technology, parents and other community members will be able to dig deeper and access more information about school performance. Please join us for a demonstration of the new North Carolina School Report Cards.

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VIII–F: It Mattered for That One—Utilizing Data for Effective Interventions

Katrina Craft, Arkansas Department of Education
Dave Ream, Pennsylvania Department of Education
Christina Kucek, Computer Aid Inc.

    This session will offer an interactive overview of Arkansas’ Student Intervention System and Pennsylvania’s Educator Early Warning System. Topics include how connecting the pieces can transform classroom instruction using the Ed-Fi platform as the one-stop shop for educational information, how to get the right data to the right people at the right time, and what your state could do with that data.

VIII–G: Dealing With the Misses

Patrick Keaton and Mark Glander, National Center of Education Statistics

    As more and more people use the Common Core of Data (CCD) to make decisions about schools and districts, it is critical that the data are properly reviewed and edited. In the same way, it is critical that the data be utilized so that data are not misrepresented. Discover how NCES staff deals with the various “misses” in the data: missing data, misreported data, and misinterpreted data. This session will discuss some of the methods used to improve data quality. In addition, Patrick Keaton and Mark Glander of NCES will share their experiences and recommendations for making sure data are used properly.

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VIII–H: Using Standards for Data Collection, Regardless of Data Warehouse Schema

Jim Peterson, Bloomington Public Schools District 87 (Illinois)
Gay Sherman, CPSI, Ltd.

    This session will focus on the use of Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) as a proven and robust standard to collect data from districts. From there, data can be formatted to the desired schema. With the use of SIF, data collection can be real-time and standardized easily.

VIII–I: Georgia’s Academic and Workforce Analysis and Research Data System (GAAWARDS)—Crossing Lines

Kriste Elia and Jackie Lundberg, Georgia Governor’s Office of Student Achievement
Ashley Custard, Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC)
Donyell Francis, Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)

    Georgia’s Academic and Workforce Analysis and Research Data System (GAAWARDS) has been developed during the last three years with the Race to the Top Grant and will continue to be funded by the state beyond the federal grant, which ends in September 2014. GAAWARDS, with its data warehouse, governance structure, and research teams, has matured and continues to grow as GAAWARDS provides a common driver across these groups. The data warehouse and governance team are sourced by education, labor, and private organizations in support of a dialogue that goes beyond basic education reporting. Our intent in this session is to share the key components that make GAAWARDS useful to those it supports and explain how a service model works for P–20.

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VIII–J: Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) Community of Practice Launch

Robin Taylor, SLDS State Support Team

    The State Support Team (SST) is in the process of launching a new Community of Practice (CoP) relating to all of the components of a longitudinal data system framework: vision/purpose, stakeholder engagement, data governance, system design, data use, and sustainability. The SST will discuss the features of the new CoP, including opportunities for states to network and share information across the different sectors.

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