Subscribe to SuperTECH News SuperTECH NEWS is the bi-monthly newsletter of the BLE GROUP, which provides small- and medium-size school systems with supplementary technology management to produce high-quality educational results and efficient management. The purpose of SuperTECH NEWS is to provide education decision makers with concise information that allows them to make informed technology decisions to impact instruction, management and communication. This is information you can use on Monday morning. Editor, Kathleen Florio Web Design, Charlene Polanosky Publisher, Eliot Levinson

Our May issue theme is data management and analysis. Choose from the following articles:   The BLE Group and Its Services: We offer technology and management expertise to small and medium-size school systems. We can assess where your school system is and exactly what you need to do to implement NCLB. We provide management support to implement effective technology-delivered programs. The BLE Group also helps education firms develop and deliver high-quality products and services to schools.   Theme of the Month—Data Management and Analysis – In this issue of the newsletter, we discuss data management and analysis and why it’s important, particularly in the context of No Child Left Behind and the emphasis on improving student achievement. We look at how districts typically evolve in their understanding and use of data management and analysis, going from the simple to the complex and eventually using data in a proactive way to inform decisions and stimulate positive change. We look at trends in technology solutions in this area, and point out important things a district should consider as it thinks about improving its capabilities in data management and analysis. Products—SuperTech News examines some key companies that offer products and solutions in data management and analysis. Just as districts vary in their level of sophistication in the use of technology, products vary in their level of complexity. We group them into three levels of increasing complexity to give a broad picture of available options. There’s something for everyone! Best Practices—Here we share the experience of the Lake Washington School District in suburban Seattle in choosing and implementing a data management and analysis solution. Among lessons learned are the importance of ongoing training, including developing the readiness of end-users to understand why they should even care about data management and analysis, let alone learn how to use a particular technology product.      We want to hear from you. What do you agree and disagree with on this issue (we will post comments from readers in the next issue). Please write us at eliot@blegroup.com. DID YOU MISS AN ISSUE? You can read past issues of SuperTECH NEWS relating to NCLB online: August 2006 - Focus: Professional Development April 2006 - Focus: 1:1 Computing October 2005 - Focus: Open Source May 2005 - Focus: Networking

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THEME: Data Management and Analysis

Data management and analysis has become a critical need for two major reasons:

• Educators must have accurate, consistent data to fulfill the reporting requirements and mandates of No Child Left Behind and to address the related demands for accountability from state legislatures, parents, and others.
• Educators are recognizing that having accurate, consistent data at their fingertips can help in their efforts to improve student outcomes.

Fortunately, today’s technology solutions include a wide array of tools for data collection, management, and analysis, so a district can take advantage of their power no matter how big—or small—its technology budget is, and no matter what kind of technology staff it has—if any.

In this issue of BLE SuperTech News, we describe what technology has to offer in the area of data management and analysis, explore some trends in the field, and provide a list of things to consider before choosing a solution. We look at products that match the needs of districts across the spectrum of technology sophistication, from those who just want a simple way to get their NCLB reports out the door, to those who are ready for a high-powered solution that features the latest tools of business intelligence. We also describe the experience of one school system, the Lake Washington School District near Seattle, as it went through the process of finding and implementing a solution to meet its needs.

Three levels of solutions and sophistication. To simplify the discussion about technology solutions for data management and analysis, we’ve divided the playing field into three categories, roughly corresponding to three levels of technology sophistication of K–12 districts:

Level 1. Tools at this level can be a big help to districts with limited resources and a need for something that doesn’t require a lot of training or technological expertise. They allow you to efficiently collect and access data from your various systems, such as student information or instructional management; to present the data in visual formats, such as pie charts or bar graphs; and to produce simple reports on attendance, test scores, student demographics, and other matters. With these tools, you’ll be able to satisfy the reporting requirements of the state and federal governments and gather information that can be useful for internal planning.

Level 2. The solutions in this category are appropriate for districts that are ready to change the way they do business, with better collection and coordination of data among departments to facilitate data analysis and data-based decision making. Many solutions in this category are what is known as “middleware.” They can gather and manipulate data from across multiple systems, so that data in your assessment system, for example, can “talk” to data in your student information system. They may have “ETL” (extract, transform, and load) tools that “clean” data to make it consistent across all your systems.

Level 3. If you have a highly skilled, well-trained IT staff, a robust technology infrastructure, and a sizable technology budget, you may be ready for the high-powered solutions in this category. Districts with a lot of experience in using data to inform their decisions will appreciate the more sophisticated analysis capabilities of these tools. Tools at this level can automate work-flow processes, increasing the likelihood of speedy, error-free completion of day-to-day tasks. The also can manipulate data to show trends and make predictions.

(The Products and Solutions section of this issue describes specific examples at each level.)

In some ways, the three levels also describe how many districts typically evolve in their use of technology solutions. At first, districts approach the search for data in bits and pieces, as answers to questions they’re being asked about discrete matters:

• What percentage of 3rd graders at ABC Elementary School has achieved proficiency in reading comprehension on the state assessment?

Eventually districts begin to ask more complex questions, perhaps involving data from different systems or databases:

• What is the correlation between teachers who took the one-day workshop on literacy strategies and student performance on the 3rd grade reading assessment?

In the later stages of their evolution, districts understand the value of more sophisticated data-analysis tools to answer questions that may be predictive in nature:

• What kind of professional development is most likely to result in improved reading scores on the 3rd grade assessment?

Why is data management and analysis important? We’ve already mentioned No Child Left Behind, demands for accountability, and improvement of student achievement as reasons why educators need to be paying attention to data management and analysis. A related reason is the ability to be proactive in addressing problems. Consider the following example.

Every school takes attendance, but not all schools use attendance data as part of a proactive plan to improve student performance. At School A, the principal examines attendance figures at the end of the year and realizes that attendance has fallen short of where it should be to avoid state sanctions. At this point, it’s too late to turn the situation around. At School B, the principal knows that attendance is important in its own right because of state requirements, but also because attendance can affect scores on the high-stakes state assessment. She keeps a close watch on daily attendance figures, pinpoints which students are missing too many days, and talks with teachers to ensure that they arrange for those students to get extra help to prepare for the state assessment. The principal at School B knows that paying attention to data is an important part of the huge effort that goes into keeping a school off the “failing” list.

Let’s go a step further. At School C, the principal wonders if enrollment in music and arts classes is correlated with attendance. When the data indicates a positive correlation, the principal, preparing for a meeting with the superintendent, has a strong case for preserving the school’s budget for its music and arts teachers—and the superintendent, in turn, can go to the school board meeting similarly well prepared. Data drives the important decisions that need to be made to address significant problems.

In the real world, each district will have its own set of questions and concerns that need to be addressed. But all districts can benefit from technology solutions that provide reliable data. In the broadest sense, such solutions can lead to improvements in teaching and learning—the ultimate goal for the instructional side of the education enterprise; and to better use of limited financial resources—an overarching goal for the business side.

Trends. Technology solutions are always evolving, and the context in which they operate changes as well. Here are just a few of the latest developments to be aware of:

• Web-based access. Many districts are realizing that users want access to data 24/7, and so they choose technology solutions that are delivered via the Internet. The bulk of the program resides on the vendor’s server, and district users access it via role-based “portals,” or entryways. Thus administrators have access to certain data, and teachers have access to other, perhaps more limited, data. Depending on the district’s preferences, access to data can be extended—within defined boundaries—to various other user groups, including parents and students.
• Data “pushing.” Instead of the user “pulling” data out of a database, many solutions are set up so that critical data—such as data on attendance or formative assessments—is “pushed” to the user. An alert might appear on a “dashboard” on the principal’s computer desktop, for example, when scores on a formative assessment go below a certain threshold. As the technology develops and user sophistication increases, data can be pushed to other devices as well, including pagers and cell phones.
• Service-oriented architecture. At the high end of the data management and analysis spectrum are technology solutions that link many diverse systems, databases, and software programs to create a seamless experience for the end user. Taking advantage of this powerful framework, many work processes can be automated, lessening the chances of human error or subjective judgments. Disciplinary actions, for example, might be automatically routed through a series of predefined steps that lead to a specific, consistent outcome for offending students and a clear data record of incidents. Or, in another example, entering registration information for a new student on a single online form might automatically enter the appropriate data into all relevant databases, such as transportation, food services, and textbook purchasing.  

Things to consider. As you plan for how to improve your data management and analysis capabilities, keep in mind these important considerations:

• Meeting your needs. A careful analysis of your needs should be among the first steps you take when considering a purchase. What kinds of data are most important to keep track of? What kinds of analysis do you want to be able to do? Buying more than you need can leave you with a big expenditure for a system that remains unused.
• Cost, including the cost of training. Cost may be among the first things that come to mind, and with good reason. Customized solutions for data storage, management, and analysis typically range from about $8 to $14 per student, per year. And don’t forget to calculate the cost of training—both initial and ongoing.
• Access and ease of use. Districts that are harnessing the power of data are putting data tools into the hands of people throughout the system, from the central office to the classroom and the lunchroom. That means having a solution that even the most tech-resistant teachers and staff can learn to use and willingly accept.
• Features. This consideration is closely related to ease of use. A product that can produce reports in various forms—pie charts and bar graphs, for example—makes it easier to communicate important information to various constituencies. Similarly, some products include a dashboard—an indicator that appears on your computer desktop with information that’s important to stay on top of day to day, such as attendance figures or formative assessment results.
• Vendor reputation. Literally dozens of vendors, including corporations and nonprofit organizations, are eager to sell you their products. The corporate players include big names that have served the business world for decades before expanding into the K–12 arena; others are relative newcomers—including some founded by tech-savvy educators whose first-hand understanding of the profession can be a plus. But keep in mind that no one has yet developed the perfect solution, despite the claims some may make. Checking with your peers in districts that are using the tool is one of the best ways to verify vendor claims.
• Customer support. You’ll need help getting things up and running and, depending on the complexity of the system, maintaining it. So you’ll want to deal with a vendor who won’t disappear after you’ve signed the purchase order.
• Room for expansion. Once districts begin to understand the power and usefulness of good data, they see all sorts of new ways to use it. Be sure the solution you select has the capacity to grow along with your needs. On the other hand, many districts find that they can use compatible tools from a few different vendors to meet their requirements.

Now that we’ve reviewed various aspects of data management and analysis, let’s look at some specific products and solutions and learn from the experience of a school district that represents an example of “best practices.”

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PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS: Data Management and Analysis

Note: The BLE Group does not endorse any of the examples listed below. These products and services were chosen to give a representative sample of what is out there in open source technologies and related companies.

The companies:

• Excelsior Software
• 3H Technology
• Edusoft (Riverside Publishing)
• Achieve! Data Solutions
• Cal Data
• EDmin.com
• SchoolNet
• Oracle 
• Cognos
• eScholar
• TetraData 
• SAS Institute

The following descriptions of products and solutions for data management and analysis are divided into three levels, as discussed in the Theme article.

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BEST PRACTICES : Lake Washington School District

When the Lake Washington School District in Redmond, Washington, set out to find a data management solution several years ago, academic concerns were foremost. Specifically, the district wanted to capture data related to various assessments, including both standardized and teacher-created assessments. It wanted a standards-based system that teachers would be comfortable using and that would provide them with the information they needed in real time, so they could make sound instructional decisions based on the assessment data. In addition, the district wanted a system that was Web-based and that would be able to accommodate broader needs in the future, such as connecting teachers with curriculum resources and recommended interventions, and grouping students in performance bands based on a particular standard, an assessment, or a specific classroom activity.

This careful determination of desired product features was an important step in the process of deciding which solution to purchase. The district ultimately chose INFORM, from EDmin. In addition to providing assessment data, the solution that EDmin deployed in Lake Washington includes a standards-based report card for elementary students and data related to proficiency-based graduation requirements for secondary students.

The system has been in place for more than six years, and Deputy Superintendent Chip Kimball, who was formerly the district’s chief information officer and who will become superintendent in July 2007, says the district has learned at least two important lessons during that time. The first is that “getting good clean data is hard work.” Lake Washington spent several years developing processes to make sure the data it was entering into INFORM was accurate and consistent.

The second lesson involves the readiness of the desired end users, including teachers and principals. Kimball says the district underestimated how difficult it would be to convince teachers, in particular, of the value of data and the usefulness of a product such as INFORM. Even in this technology-rich district, whose corporate neighbors include the headquarters of Microsoft, it has taken longer than anticipated to train people and get them to actually incorporate a technology solution into their work routine.

Kimball says the district realized it had to “take a step back” and provide what he calls “Assessment 101”—information related to principles and practices around assessment strategies. “Assessment and data management systems are a very complex business,” Kimball says. “It takes several years for people to fully understand them.” Expanding people’s understanding of assessment provided what Kimball calls “the core foundation” around which the district could then implement INFORM.

At the outset, EDmin trained a small cadre of initial users, who then undertook a “train the trainer” role. But the district has provided the bulk of training—an approach that has allowed it to embed learning in the local context. Participants in training sessions use real data from Lake Washington schools as they learn how to use the software and how to address specific problems with the help of the data provided. Training is mandatory for principals and teacher leaders at each school, but voluntary for others.

Kimball says training is ongoing, because the district continues to discover new things it wants to do with INFORM and new challenges it wants to address with the help of data. As the need for new tactics becomes evident, “we revisit things and scaffold the training” he says.

The data management solution has had a major impact on the work of principals, teacher leaders, and the central office administrators who supervise principals, according to Kimball. Data derived from INFORM now drives school improvement plans, which, in turn, drive the work of the schools.

Kimball is emphatic about the value of Lake Washington’s investment in a data management solution. “I can’t imagine doing the work we do without this kind of tool to provide data for us,” he says.

Based on his experience, Kimball offers the following advice to education decision makers who are considering an investment in a data management and analysis solution: “Train, train, train, train.” Training should begin with making sure the end users understand the larger context of why the solution is useful. As noted earlier, in the case of implementing INFORM in Lake Washington, the training began with helping people understand general issues related to assessment.

Beyond training, Kimball offers these suggestions:

• Look for simplicity in the user interface—the screens that the end user will see and interact with.
• Make sure good systems are in place to provide clean, accurate, and consistent data.
• Find ways to build data-driven decision making into the organizational culture.

On the last point, Kimball says shaping the culture involves such things as setting expectations at the top, modeling the desired behavior, and asking questions that require the use of data.

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NOTE: The BLE Group does not endorse any of the products mentioned in this newsletter.
These were selected to illustrate the types of products currently available.