VI–A Using Maps for Reporting National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Data

Ebony Walton, National Center for Education Statistics
Brian Cramer and Rukayat Akinbiyi, Optimal Solutions Group

The first part of this session will address the use of percentile maps for reporting the average scores of students across the distribution and to make percentile comparisons across subgroups or jurisdictions. Average scores on assessments can be a bit deceiving. While the average score for one racial/ethnic group or jurisdiction could be higher than other racial/ethnic groups or jurisdictions on an assessment, stakeholders may be interested (possibly even more interested) in the percentage of students scoring at different points along the score distribution, or scores for lower- and higher-performing students. It could be, for example, that the racial/ethnic group or jurisdiction with the higher average score has students scoring lower at 10th percentile compared to other racial/ethnic groups or jurisdictions. Using recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data, this presentation will show percentile maps for racial/ethnic group average scores at the national level and overall average scores for states.

The second part of this session will focus on regional NAEP data using the Tableau data visualization software. When NAEP assessments are unable to report data at the state level, examining the data by census region (i.e., Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) can be useful to NAEP stakeholders interested in knowing how students in different U.S. regions did on assessments. Overall average scores by census region, as well as the distribution of students who engage in and have access to various in- and out-of-school activities, can vary by region. Using recent NAEP assessment data and data collected from NAEP questionnaires, this presentation will show average score differences and variation in engagement in and access to various activities across regions. Moreover, this presentation will show how variation in average score across regions compare across different NAEP subjects.

Complexity: Intermediate Level

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Using Maps for Reporting National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Data (2.59 MB)

VI–B The Public Website for Financial Transparency: Colorado Department of Education

Adam Williams, Jennifer Okes, Leanne Emm, and Yolanda Lucero, Colorado Department of Education

Legislation in Colorado called for the creation of a website designed to provide to the general public transparency of financial operations. This website was released to the public on July 1, 2017. The development and functionality of this website will be discussed.

Complexity: Intermediate Level

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The Public Website for Financial Transparency: Colorado Department of Education (605 KB)

VI–C Minnesota's Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System (ECLDS) and Growing Evaluabilty Together (GrEaT): Building Data Use Capacity in Early Childhood

Anita Larson and Avisia Whiteman, Minnesota Department of Education

Growing Evaluabilty Together, or GrEaT, is an Institute of Education Sciences-funded pilot to develop and test a technical assistance experience and toolkit aimed at building evaluation capacity in district-based early childhood programs in Minnesota. GrEaT is framed around four key areas of capacity: the individual, school, district, and community. The importance of data use is tied to two levels: locally to program performance, improvement, and learning; and at the state level to the status of Minnesota children in the state's Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System (ECLDS). Year 1 evaluation results will be shared from this 3-year pilot.

Complexity: Entry Level

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Minnesota's Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System (ECLDS) and Growing Evaluabilty Together (GrEaT): Building Data Use Capacity in Early Childhood (2.01 MB)

VI–D Ed-Fi, Common Education Data Standards (CEDS), IMS, and Diverse Stakeholder Communities Working Together

Glenn Meyer, Nevada Department of Education
Sean Casey and Eric Jansson, Ed-Fi Alliance
Jim Goodell, Common Education Data Standards, Quality Information Partners, Inc.

The needs for data and technical interoperability are growing, as is the use of data by a wide range of stakeholders. Educators working within student-centered digital learning ecosystems, state education departments, education researchers, and policymakers are using real-time, integrated data for more immediate and action-oriented purposes. EdTech standards organizations are working together to respond to the various needs for improved use and usability of education data. Panel members will describe their experiences and plans for the future.

Complexity: Intermediate Level

VI–E Michigan's Innovative Approaches to Publishing Postsecondary Metrics

Michael McGroarty, Rachel Edmondson, and Kelsey Heckert, Michigan Center for Educational Performance and Information

This session will cover Michigan's innovative approaches to publishing postsecondary metrics. This approach includes ensuring postsecondary data governance; postsecondary vista (which includes merging collected data directly with National Student Clearinghouse [NSC] data to produce rich datasets); producing high school postsecondary progression reports (which include visual high school postsecondary feedback); producing postsecondary pathways (which include postsecondary and high school feedback data); and reporting on success rates (which constitute a demonstration of the interactive report). The session will also envision what's next—workforce outcomes, licensing matches, more visualizations, etc.

Complexity: Intermediate Level

Complexity: Entry Level

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Michigan's Innovative Approaches to Publishing Postsecondary Metrics (2.07 MB)

VI–F A District's Journey of Implementing Effective Data Use Practices

Margie Johnson, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (TN)
Stephanie Wilkerson, Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia, Magnolia Consulting

With increased accountability in education, resources are being invested to ensure educators have access to a computerized data system. Data access is one component of data-informed decisionmaking. This session will share one district's journey toward developing and implementing the Data-Informed Decisionmaking Ecosystem as a guide for empowering educators to use data, no matter the source, for making informed decisions. Organizations might benefit not only from the implementation lessons learned but also the implementation tools, such as the Teacher Data Use Survey (TDUS) and the Innovations Configurations Map (IC Map) for Collaborative Inquiry, that supported the work.

Complexity: Entry Level

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A District's Journey of Implementing Effective Data Use Practices (3.04 MB)

VI–G Noncognitive Measures to Scale: Motivation- and Mindset-Matched Score Data Use to Improve Instruction

Alvin Larson, Meriden Public Schools (CT)

Perception versus reality: students enter school eager to learn, but that eagerness often wanes in secondary school. During formal teacher observations, students appear to be motivated and determined to learn, but there are no systemwide, research-based data available to either support or challenge these adult perceptions. Based on current motivation theory, one local education agency has developed valid and reliable longitudinal measures of motivation by subject for each student in grades 4–12. This customized software and data are available to teachers before the start of school and are intended to foster discussions about which classroom practices actually increase or decrease student motivation. This session will explore the value of a measure of motivation and how to use it to improve students results.

Complexity: Intermediate Level

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Noncognitive Measures to Scale: Motivation- and Mindset-Matched Score Data Use to Improve Instruction (2.31 MB)

VI–H Investigating the Impact of the Nebraska ACT Pilot Project on Student College-Going Behavior

Justine Yeo, Nebraska Department of Education

With the goal of increasing college going among high school students, the ACT Pilot Project was conducted by administering the ACT for all eleventh graders in 13 selected high schools. This study utilizes statistical tools, such as propensity score matching and logistic regression, to assess the impact of being in the ACT Pilot on college going. Results indicate that participation in the ACT Pilot Project increases the odds of going on to college, although only marginally, for the high school students in the study. Other variables of interest, such as gender, race/ethnicity, household income status, and academic performance, are greater predictors of college going. Participants in this session will discuss the project and other tools for predicting and increasing college-going rates among high school graduates.

Complexity: Intermediate Level

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Investigating the Impact of the Nebraska ACT Pilot Project on Student College-Going Behavior (2.45 MB)

VI–I Who's in Charge of My Data? Protecting Data With Effective Data Governance

Meredith Miceli, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education
Kara Arzamendia, Minnesota Department of Education
Denise Mauzy and Jeff Sellers, DaSy, AEM Corporation

Data governance in programs is often overlooked due to competing priorities for resources and time, or because it is subsumed under an existing larger data governance structure. A formal data governance structure with clearly written policies and procedures that support education data can help states effectively protect, manage, share, and report these data. This session will provide an overview of data governance, including the need for a formal data governance structure with written policies and procedures. Participants will learn about the new DaSy Data Governance and Management Toolkit, which provides states a mechanism for creating or enhancing data governance.

Complexity: Entry Level

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Who's in Charge of My Data? Protecting Data With Effective Data Governance (2.19 MB)

VI–J Using National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Data When State or District Data Are Not Available: Two Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Studies

Jacqueline Zweig, Heather Lavigne, and Katherine Shields, Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands at Education Development Center, Inc.

Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI) conducted two studies using the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES') data; one to address concerns of REL-NEI's Governing Board about increasing demands on principals and the other with state education agency members of its Early Childhood Education Research Alliance who were interested in the use of kindergarten entry assessments. In this session, researchers will discuss how these stakeholders used national findings to inform their own contexts. The studies include “How Kindergarten Entry Assessments Are Used in Public Schools and How They Correlate with Spring Assessments” (ECLS-K) and “Principals' Time, Tasks, and Professional Development: An Analysis of Schools and Staffing Survey Data.”

Complexity: Entry Level

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Using National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Data When State or District Data Are Not Available: Two Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Studies (3.96 MB)