data unlimited: what a school system can accomplish when they let the data do the talking ashley f....
TRANSCRIPT
Data Unlimited: What a School System Can
Accomplish When They Let the Data do the Talking
Ashley F. Daniel
Director of Data Analysis and Accountability
Rogers Public Schools, Arkansas
NCES 26th Annual Management Information Systems (MIS) Conference
Washington, DC February 2013
Rogers Public Schools – Quick Facts¨ 5th largest school district in Arkansas, located in
the northwest corner of the state¨ Employ approximately 1,000 certified staff
members and about 700 classified staff members¨ Well-maintained, modern facilities half of which
have been built in the last 15 years due to significant population growth in the area
2Photos used courtesy of Rogers Public Schools for educational use only.
Rogers Public Schools
2012-2013 Enrollment: 14,456Per Pupil Expenditure: $8,329 Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:16 Operating Budget 2011-12: $111.4 millionMillage Rate: 38.4 Number of Schools: 22 (14 elementary, 4 middle schools, 2 high schools, a Pre-kindergarten Center and an alternative school) A new elementary school and conversion charter high school will open in the Fall of 2013.
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Student DemographicsRACE:
Caucasian – 52%
Hispanic – 42%
Other – 6%
Economically Disadvantaged – 61%
English Language Learners – 34%
Students with Disabilities – 11%
4Photos used courtesy of Rogers Public Schools for educational use only.
Rogers Public Schools¨ Our Mission: to provide an environment of
educational excellence where all belong, all learn, and all succeed.
¨ Our Values: Learning, Excellence, Relationships, Student-Centered, Respect, and Integrity.
¨ Our Vision: to be a recognized educational leader in developing and challenging all students to realize their potential in our ever-changing world.
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How it all began…
¨ In 2005, the district level administrators recognized the need for a focused effort to “address the needs of growing and diverse populations” and with the support of the board of education they:– Began an intensive strategic planning process
with the guidance of Croft & Joftus– Hired a full-time district level statistician/data
analyst
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Path to a Strategic Plan¨ Dr. Janie Darr, district superintendent,
sought the support of the school board and the community to begin an intensive planning process.
¨ The strategic planning process used the results of a needs analysis to develop short- and long-term goals, measurable objectives, and actionable strategies that should result in systemic improvement.
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8 Guiding Principles1) Focus on literacy, math, and science.
2) Use student work and data to identify student needs, improve instruction, and assess progress.
3) Focus professional development to improve instruction.
4) Identify and replicate best practices for instruction.
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8 Guiding Principles (continued)
5) Prioritize the instructional focus when allocating resources.
6) Maintain safe and orderly environments conducive to learning.
7) Engage families, community, and partners to support whole school improvement.
8) Value racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity.
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Implementation¨ The school board committed to the addition of a
deputy superintendent to oversee the plan. ¨ The recommendations were reviewed, organized,
and prioritized by district leadership. ¨ Year One Action Plan included 71 proposed
objectives organized into five interactive domains:
¨ Each action step included a timeline, measurement, person(s) responsible, and a description of the action to be taken.
– Leadership– Data– Curriculum
– Professional Development– Communication
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Strategic Plan Quotes¨ “Cross & Joftus has worked with Rogers Public
Schools and the community for four years, conducting an in-depth needs analysis, developing a strategic plan with a group of community stakeholders, and monitoring implementation of the strategic plan.” – Raymond M. Burns, President/CEO, Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce
¨ "Going through a strategic planning process helped us take a hard look at what we want our district to look like in the future and map out how we are going to reach our goals."
– Dr. Janie Darr, Superintendent, Rogers Public Schools
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Sample Objectives from the 2012-13 Plan
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Continued Implementation
¨ Objectives are reviewed and revised annually by the district’s Leadership Cabinet
¨ Feedback and recommendations are collected and reviewed annually from the Administrative Council
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Director of Data Analysis and Accountability (DDAA)¨ Responsible for overseeing and
implementing psychometric procedures for the educational testing program, assuring veracity of data, analytical methods, and results; and independently designing, planning, and completing research studies to support curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
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DDAA – Primary Focus
¨ Data Quality¨ Data Interpretation¨ Data Accessibility¨ Program Evaluation¨ Strategic Planning Initiatives¨ Prediction Modeling¨ Training
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DDAA – Personal Background
¨ B.A. Mathematics, M.S. Educational Research and Policy Studies with a focus on Statistics.
¨ Senior Graduate Research Assistant at the National Office of Research Measurement and Evaluation Systems (NORMES) at the University of Arkansas under Dr. Sean Mulvenon for three years.
¨ Graduate Teaching Assistant for the University of Arkansas Department of Mathematical Sciences for two years.
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In Action…¨ Bi-annual administrator data meetings (AMO
/ACSIP meetings)¨ Monthly District Data Team trainings¨ Weekly Leadership Cabinet focus on Strategic
Plan objectives¨ District database (currently using FileMaker),
“electronic filing cabinet” or “dashboard”¨ District minimum assessment requirements¨ Prediction models (proficiency, growth, and
dropout)¨ RTI implementation in every school
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In Action…¨ Program evaluations and implementation reviews¨ School/department level periodic data review
sessions¨ Recognition of teachers with largest academic
gains on state tests in Math/Literacy for grades 4-8, “Movers & Shakers”
¨ Annual Administrative Feedback surveys (360)¨ Data Notebooks (AMO Notebooks)
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AMO/ACSIP Meetings
¨ Meetings held twice each year (September and January) for about one hour per school
¨ School principal shares data/evidence to district level administrators on his/her school’s progress (grade, teacher, and student level)
¨ Directors from Special Education and English Language departments also attend
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District Data Team¨ Approximately 30 members, attendees often vary from
month to month, but most every school/department has a representative at each meeting (district expectation)
¨ Consists of one or two members from each school and department, often an administrator, but sometimes teachers
¨ Meets monthly during the school year for 1 ½ hours after school
¨ Meetings held in the district Professional Development Center Computer Lab with sufficient number of computers, smart board, all needed computer programs, access to files district-wide, and sufficient workspace
¨ A very relaxed, open floor training style session with about 30-45 minutes of training followed by questions
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District Data Team – Sample Schedule
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District Data Team – Recent Changes
¨ Over the last two years the meetings have become more “needs based”
¨ The topics and representative attendance have been much more flexible
¨ Continue to struggle with varied levels of “data skills” with the group, typically related to the number of years serving on the District Data Team
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Leadership Cabinet¨ Weekly Monday morning meeting of district level
administrators for reviewing reports, schedules, data, etc.
¨ Focused on Strategic Planning initiatives and monitoring progress towards meeting goals outlined in the plan
¨ One principal from the elementary level and one from the secondary level also attend
¨ Other guests are invited depending on the agenda¨ Notes are taken at every meeting and distributed
via email to all administrators
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Leadership Cabinet – Sample Agenda
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District Database
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Data Focus – Monthly
¨ July (REFLECT)– Administrative meetings – Review of all state testing results (admin, school board,
etc.)– Data notebooks– Movers & Shakers identified and recognized
¨ August (INFORM)– School staff meetings– Trainings– Teacher class goal setting
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Data Focus – Monthly ¨ September (IDENTIFY “AT-RISK”)
– AMO/ACSIP data meetings with administrative teams– District-wide STAR testing– Academic Improvement Plans developed– RTI team meetings – District Data Team meeting on “at-risk” students
¨ October (MONITOR)– Progress monitoring begins, frequency varies– Targeted intervention/remediation/enrichment– Database and reports updated (test scores and grades)– District Data Team meeting on accountability
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Data Focus – Monthly ¨ November (ADJUST)
– Parent teacher conferences– Some schools hold student conferences for goal setting– District Data Team meeting on monitoring progress
¨ December (ASSESS)– District-wide STAR testing– TLI data analysis (local assessment for instruction)– District Data Team meeting on data analysis tools
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Data Focus – Monthly ¨ January (REFOCUS)
– AMO/ACSIP data meetings with administrative teams– Revisions made to plans/goals, if needed– Mid Year Predictions and accountability estimates– School/department data review meetings– Database and reports updated (test scores and grades)– District Data Team meeting on interpreting predictions
¨ February (RESPOND)– Parent teacher conferences– Progress monitoring continues– Adjusting intervention/remediation/enrichment strategies– District Data Team meeting on data analysis
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Data Focus – Monthly ¨ March (PREP)
– Data quality checks (student demographics, mobility checks, testing rosters, accommodations, etc.)
– Test taking strategies (“Benchmark bootcamp”) – 11th grade Literacy exam– District Data Team meeting on accessing and reviewing
data for accuracy¨ April (EVALUATE)
– State testing (ITBS, Benchmark, and End of Course tests)– Surveys for staff, students, and parents– District Data Team meeting on program evaluation
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Data Focus – Monthly ¨ May (TRANSITION)
– District-wide STAR testing– Intervention evaluations of ACSIP plan goals– Prepare students/parents for next grade level or school– Curriculum/instruction review and adjustments begin– Policies and procedures reviewed– District Data Team meeting on effectiveness
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Other Key Factors to Our Success¨ Dr. Jane E. Pollock consultant¨ GANAG¨ Curriculum Alignment¨ Classroom Walk-Through¨ Technology¨ CGI¨ SIOP¨ RTI
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Closing Achievement Gaps
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Closing Achievement Gaps
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Closing Achievement Gaps
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Reducing Dropout RateYear
Number of Dropouts
Enrollment Grades 9-12
DROPOUT RATE
2003-2004 179 3319 5.4%
2004-2005 193 3410 5.7%
2005-2006 194 3533 5.5%
2006-2007 207 3666 5.6%
2007-2008 206 3977 5.2%
2008-2009 228 4038 5.6%
2009-2010 160 4043 4.0%
2010-2011 139 4123 3.4%
2011-2012 126 4163 3.0%
Enrollment Increasing
Dropouts Decreasing
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Increased AP Participation
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Decreased Disciplinary Incident Rate
2008 2009 2010 2011 20120%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
23.0% 22.5%20.7% 19.0% 18.1%
Percent of Students with a Disciplinary Incident
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Comments from the Field…¨ “Teacher analysis of individual and group data and utilization of results
to guide and modify instruction have been key to score improvement at Jones and our resultant 2012 National Blue Ribbon status.”
– Pam Camper, Principal, Russell D. Jones Elementary School,
and recipient of 2012 Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership
¨ “Data is the base of every decision we make.”– Mary Elmore, Principal, Greer Lingle Middle School
¨ “We meet with our teachers in PLC each Wednesday to analyze formative assessment data taken during the week. We use this data to help drive our instruction, form our small groups, and help in our planning. We also share the data with the individual students so that they can take accountability for their performance.”
– Stephen Bowman, Principal, Garfield Elementary School
¨ “Our district has a variety of means to collect data to use when making instructional decisions.”
- Deborah Hales, Math Academic Facilitator, Lowell Elementary School
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More Comments from the Field…¨ “To me, the data process begins with the principal. You have to put a
strong emphasis on the collaboration piece and look deeply at instructional practice as a precursor to student data. The principal must understand the sources of data, type of assessment and the principles for interpreting the results. By careful planning and instituting of data systems within your building, you will allow the thoughts of "data decision making" to permeate your school. That is a culture that must be built. Throwing data piece after data piece at the teachers will only frustrate them. Tease out the most reliable pieces and teach your teachers how to become data literate. It is certainly not an easy process but a necessary one to move toward best practice instructionally and increase student achievement. It's the old adage of "work smarter, not harder" put into practice. We just have to be explicitly taught how to do that.”
- Amy Putnam, Principal, Westside Elementary School
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Academic Recognition¨ Both high schools in Rogers named among the Best High Schools
in America by U.S. News and World Report. ¨ Two middle schools named the most outstanding middle schools
in the state as Diamond Schools to Watch. ¨ Two elementary schools named National Blue Ribbon Schools.¨ Numerous schools recognized with Outstanding Educational
Performance Awards by Office of Ed Policy at the University of Arkansas for closing achievement gaps and “beating the odds.”
¨ Numerous schools recognized as NCEA Higher Performing Schools.
¨ Numerous other school, administrator, and educator awards at both the state and national level.
41Photos used courtesy of Rogers Public Schools for educational use only.
Next Steps…¨ Standards based scoring and scoring
guides/rubrics¨ Common core implementation¨ Data training for teachers¨ Balanced assessment model¨ Improve classroom embedded formative
assessment practices¨ Share best practices in data use
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Websites¨ Rogers Public Schools
– www.rogersschools.net¨ Cross & Joftus
– http://www.edstrategies.net¨ RPS DDAA Job Description
– http://human-resources.rogersschools.net/¨ RPS Curriculum Information
– http://curriculum.rogersschools.net¨ RPS Data and Accountability
– http://data.rogersschools.net
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